X-Digest-Num: 369 Message-ID: <44114.369.2028.959273826@eGroups.com> Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2000 16:05:18 -0500 From: "Bob LeChevalier (lojbab)" Subject: Re: Dr. James Cooke Brown X-Yahoo-Message-Num: 2028 Content-Length: 1213 Lines: 29 At 12:03 PM 02/19/2000 -0500, Robert A. McIvor wrote: > >We added the apostrophe, and the corresponding close-comma for the > >syllable-dividing reasons I stated in another post. > > I thought Loglan has had a syllable dividing close-comma since long >before the split. Lo,is is the example given. The classical language uses it only to override leftwise vowel pairing. Lojban generalized this to force any syllabification including between consonants. The weakness of the close-comma in vowel pairs is that linguistically it introduces a semi-vowel. (Lo,is -> /lowis/). By devoicing the glide and maintaining the airflow to prevent a word-ending glottal stop or pause, which we mark with the apostrophe instead of the close-comma, the glide tends to sound more like an "h" (/lohis/), which is why I teach the two marks together in explaining why Lojban apostrophe is not really "h". lojbab ---- lojbab lojbab@lojban.org Bob LeChevalier, President, The Logical Language Group, Inc. 2904 Beau Lane, Fairfax VA 22031-1303 USA 703-385-0273 Artificial language Loglan/Lojban: http://www.lojban.org (newly updated!)