[lojban-beginners] Re: Spelling "Alan" in lojban?

[Alan Post <terminal-keyword-lojban.416ddb@c0redump.org>]

On Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 10:50:56AM -0500, Michael Turniansky wrote:
>    On Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 10:42 AM, Alan Post
>    <[1]terminal-keyword-lojban.416ddb@c0redump.org> wrote:
> 
>      I am reading through the level0 brochure, and I think I have
>      gathered enough information to spell my first name (Alan) in
>      lojban.
> 
>      How did I do?  Is there a closer approximation?
> 
>      Thank you!
> 
>      -Alyn.
> 
> 
>      fi'i alyn (welcome, Alan)
> 
>      You did fine.  My brother (who passed away about a year ago) was also
>    named Alan.  Assuming you are American, then the first "a" sound in your
>    name is normally pronounced like the "a" in cat, a sound which does not
>    exist in lojban.  Therefore, yes, you have to compromise.  You could go
>    with either "a" or "e" for the first vowel.
> 
>                                      --gejyspa (Mike Turniansky)
> 

I am American, so you have guessed the correct pronunciation.  In
discussing lojban with my friend Kit last night, it occurred to me
also that the "i" in "it" doesn't seem to have a lojban sound
either.   That the closest pronunciation of his name would be (using
lojban pronunciation: "kit" /keet/, or "ket" /keht/.  He has had
non-english speakers pronounce his name /keet/, and liked that just
fine.

There doesn't seem to be a rising dipthong that gets any closer,
though "kiut" /keaut/ is in the same class.  From the Phonology
chapter in What is Lojban?[1], there seem to be a fair number of
potential rising dipthongs that aren't listed (.e.g., ea, eu.)  Does
that chapter list all the actual rising dipthongs in lojban, or are
there more introduced later?

Thank you, Mike.  Alan was a decently popular given name when I was
born, and all the same I don't encounter too many people that I
haved shared it with.

-Alan

[1]: http://lojban.org/publications/level0/brochure/phonol.html