Re: [lojban] vowel and stress

[Pierre Abbat <phma@phma.optus.nu>]

On Sunday, February 12, 2012 07:05:38 Remo Dentato wrote:
> I suspect I don't have a correct understanding of interaction between
> the stressing rule and diphtongs.
> 
> Let me give some example:
> 
> balcU'e - {u} and {e} are on two separate syllable (but I couldn't
> tell if {'e} is a syllable!)
> bAlsoi - {oi} is a diphtong
> ca'Arcau - {au} is a diphtong
> 
> I'm in doubt on which vowel of a diphtong the stress should be. The
> various example suggest that for diphtongs it should be:
> 
> {Ai} {Au} {Ei} {Oi} {iA} {ie} {iI} {iO} {iU} {uA} {uE} {uO} {uI} {uU}
> 
> but I don't know if it's a rule.
> 
> I've also looked for words that had two consecutive vowel that were
> not a diphtong (e.g. {ae} or {eo}) but I couldn't find any. Are they
> ruled out or I just didn't look hardly enough?

I originally thought that, if a brivla ends in a diphthong but you pronounce 
it as two syllables, the stress goes on the first of two vowels in the 
diphthong, e.g. "bal,só,i". Xorxes disagreed. I changed my mind.

There are brivla and cmevla that contain two consecutive vowels that aren't a 
diphthong, e.g. bangrkorea (in the CLL), ma'aen (someone in Peace Child whose 
name I lojbanized on the spot). All such brivla are fu'ivla.

As to which vowel of a diphthong, you are correct, and further {uY}, {iY}. 
Brivla are always stressed on the default syllable, but cmevla aren't. The 
rule for finding default stress is clear for brivla, but not for cmevla. I 
think it should be like this:
1. Count all syllables whose nucleus is a vowel, diphthong, or triphthong (if 
there are triphthongs, which isn't clear in the CLL) as one syllable even if 
the diphthong or triphthong is pronounced as two or three syllables. Ignore 
syllabic consonants.
2. Start on the next-to-last syllable and move toward the beginning of the 
word until you find a syllable whose nucleus isn't "y". If you find one, it is 
the default stressed syllable.
3. If you don't find one, but the last syllable's nucleus isn't "y", the last 
syllable is stressed.
4. If all syllables have nucleus "y", the stress is on the next-to-last 
syllable.
5. If there isn't a next-to-last syllable, the stress is on the last, and 
only, syllable.

Pierre
-- 
li fi'u vu'u fi'u fi'u du li pa

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "lojban" group.
To post to this group, send email to lojban@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to lojban+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/lojban?hl=en.