From: Nik Taylor (fortytwo@gdn.net)
Date: Wed Jan 03 2001 - 19:02:04 EST
I'll soon put up a web page with this stuff. But here's the latest.
Also, the capital is now Rònnô not Róum Nóu. Rònnô comes from Ròm Nò,
having come to be thought of as a single word, inflections only occurred
on the Nò, and the two became written as one word.
Alphabet (S alpabêt) - been changed somewhat.
These are all single letters, written as ligatures and alphabetized in
the following order
A (A) /A/
B (bè) /b/ after a {n} or {m} or word-initially
/v/ otherwise
Bb (bès-bè) /b/
Hb (s mút-èç-bè) /v/, only used word-initially
C (Cè) /k/ after {n} or initially, and not before i or e
/ts/ before i or e
/x/ elsewhere
Cc (bbèsè) /ts/ before i or e
/k/ elsewhere
Ç (Cè-ç-i) /ts/
Hc (s mút-èt-cè) /x/, only used word-initially
D (dè) /d/ after {n} or word-initially
/D/ elsewhere (some dialects have /z/ or /v/ or even /d/)
Dd (bès-dè or dè) /d/
Hd (s mút-èd-dè) /D/, only used word-initially
Dl (dlè) /K\/ Voiced lateral fricative
E (È) - /E/
[&] when word-final and unstressed
È (È Lôgn) [e] when unstressed
[ej] when stressed
G (Gè) /g/ after {n} or word-intially, and not before i or e
/dz/ before i or e
/G/ elsewhere
Gg (Bbèzè) /dz/ before i or e
/g/ elsewhere
G` (Gè-ç-i) /dz/
Hg (S mút-èd-gè) /G/, only used word-initially
Gn (Gèn) /N/
H (S mút - lit. "The mute one") no sound, used after C and G to block
palatization
I (I) /i/
[j] when ustressed and prevocalic
K (Ka) /k/ - used as a varient of {c}, mostly when adjacent to another
{c}
L (Lè-lètla) /l/
M (Mè) /m/
N (Nè) /n/ word-final or prevocalic
assimilates when preceding a consonant
O (Ã’) /O/
[A] when unstressed and word-final (thus, -o and -a are
homophones)
Ò (Ò Lôgn) [o] when ustressed
[ow] when stressed
P (Pè) /p/ after n or m or word-initially
/f/ elsewhere
Pp (Bès-pè) /p/
Hp (S mút-èç-pè) /f/, used only word-initially
R (Rè-Ròma) /l/ - {r} and {l} are determined by etymology
S (Sè) /s/, /z/ before voiced consonants
T (Tè) /t/ after n or word-initially
/T/ elsewhere (some dialects have /s/ or /f/ or even /t/)
Tt (Bès-tè) /t/
Ht (S mút-èt-tè) /T/ (or /s/, /f/, or /t/), only used word-initially
Tl (Tlè) /K/ (voiceless lateral fricative)
U (U) /u/
[w] when ustressed and prevocalic
X (èç) /x/ word-initially (/ks/ (from /sk/) -> /kx/ -> /x/)
/ts/ elsewhere (/ks/ -> /ts/ - this occured after the
word-initial change)
Y (yè or i glêc) - /Z/
Z (zè) - /z/
A few other combinations exist
bf - /bv/ (affricate)
pf - /pf/ (affricate)
ai - /aj/, /&j/, /&/, or /Ej/ by dialect (dialect of Rònnô has /&/)
au - /Aw/ or /Ow/ by dialect (dialect of Rònnô has /Aw/)
úi - /y/ - only used in some dialects
ôi - /2/ - only used in some dialects
ei - same as è
ou - same as ò
eo (actually èò) - /eo/ (diphthong)
oe (actually òè) - /oe/ (diphthong)
I write èò and òè as eo and oe for simplicity's sake, as they never
contrast with actual *eo or *oe (that is, /EO/ and /OE/ don't exist)
However, I do write èò or òè if the two vowels belong to different
morphemes, like dèòs, stem dè- plus abs. sing. ending -òs.
Allophones:
/x/ and /G/ are pronounced as [C] and [J] (palatal fricative) before
front vowels
/tj/ and /dj/ are often [tS] and [dZ]
/sj/ and /zj/ are often [S] and /Z/
A few dialectal variations:
/x/ and /G/ are /h/ and /M\/ (velar approximant) in some dialects
[C] and [J] are realized as [S] and /Z/ in some dialects
The [&] and [A] allophones of /E/ and /O/ are used more in many
dialects, some dialects using them in all unstressed positions, and
others have completely lost the [E] and [O] allophones
/K/, /K\/ and /Z/ are /S/, /Z/ and /r\/ (alveolar approximant) in some
dialects
Some dialects voice intervocalic fricatives
Some conservative dialects retain the old /P/ and /B/ for /f/ and /v/,
while others changed earlier /P/ and /B/ into /h/ and /v/
-- Florida: Home of Electile Dysfunction ICQ: 18656696 AIM Screen-Name: NikTaylor42
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