Re: [bpfk] Question on {z} vs. {dz} and {ts}

[John Cowan <cowan@mercury.ccil.org>]

Gleki Arxokuna scripsit:

> So why do we have it if no major languages have it as an "basic" phoneme?

The phonemes of Lojban are a priori.  They are not dictated by the
source language; rather the source-language words are adjusted to the
pre-existing phonology.  This is even more true of the clusters.  As for
"dz", the specific reason we have it as a permissible initial is that
every voiceless permissible initial has a voiced counterpart (unless it
involves /x/, obviously).

Because /dz/ is rare in the source languages, it was the only permissible
initial that didn't appear in the original gismu list.  When the
opportunity arose to add a few gismu later, the new terms "dzipo" and
"dzena" were manipulated to begin with it.  "Dzipo" is from "dzucipni";
"dzena" was chosen over higher-scoring forms both for this reason and
to take advantage of the hitherto-unusable rafsi "dze".

-- 
John Cowan          http://www.ccil.org/~cowan        cowan@ccil.org
Some people open all the Windows; wise wives welcome the spring by moving
the Unix.  --Advertisement for Unix Book Units (U.K.)
(see http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/unix3image.gif)

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