--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Wordingham"
<richard.wordingham@...> wrote:

> --- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, "suzmccarth" <suzmccarth@...> wrote:
>
> > Would it not be possible to create an interactive syllable chart

in

> > java script of the 60 symbol set, with the auxiliary set in a
> > further menu.
>
> Are you sure the number is 60, and not 160?

Here is the quote from Singler.

"Most literates find the need for only forty to sixty characters. In
many ways the participants at the 1962 conference 'filled in the
blanks' creating symbols where none had existed before. Thus the
conference largely introduced into the writing system distinctions
between pairs of syllables beginning with s and z, f and v, wV and
V, and the palatal consonants c, j, nj, and y. Very often, a
contrast already existed between pairs of consonants with some
vowels; now it was extended to all seven vowels. Thus most of the
seeming systematicity in the shape of characters is artificial,
imposed in 1962 and never in fact accepted by script users.
(According to Welmers 1976: 11, the system did not originally
distinguish between b (implosive) and mb (implosive), d (implosive)
and nd (implosive), or [k] and [ng], these distinctions were only
introduced into the writing system around 1900.) A further point
about the relationship of the chart to ordinary use is that the
usual form of some charcters represents an inversion, reversal, or
turning of the version in the chart."

Unfortunately I cannot open the Vai Unicode Proposal on dialup. I
think the problem here is that "a contrast already existed between
pairs of consonants with some vowels."

Suzanne


Looking throught Dalby's

> table of the state of affairs in 1849, if that system has

essentially

> persisted, it should have about 165 syllable symbols! My

assessment,

> using proposed Unicode names and showing pronunciation in XSAMPA

where

> there would be more than one pronunication for a symbol, is that

the

> system should consist of at least the following 148 symbols:
>
> EE, I, A, OO, O /O, hO, w0/;
> AN /a~, Na/, ON /O~, NO, HO~/, EN /E~, hE~/;
> NGEN;
> HEE, HI, HA, HOO, HE /hE, E/;
> HIN /hi~, i~/;
> WEE, WI, WA, WOO, WU /wu, u, hu/, WE;
> PEE, PI, PA, POO, PU, PO, PE;
> BHI, BHA, BHU, BHO;
> BEE, BI, BA, BOO, BU, BO, BE;
> MBA, MBOO;
> KPI, KPA, KPOO, KPU, KPO, KPE, KPAN;
> GBEE, GBI, GBA, GBOO, GBU, GBO, GBE;
> FEE, FI, FA, FOO, FO, FE;
> VA, VO;
> TEE, TI, TA, TOO, TU, TO, TE;
> DHEE, DHI, DHA, DHOO, DHU;
> LEE, LI, LA, LOO, LU /lu, d_<u, nd_<u/, LO, LE /lE, d_<E/;
> DEE, DA, DOO, DO;
> NDEE, NDI, NDOO;
> SEE /se, ze/, SI, SA, SOO, SU /su, zu/, SO, SE /sE, zE/;
> ZI, ZA, ZOO /zo, jO(?)/, ZO;
> CI;
> JEE /J\e, ce/, JI /J\i, JJ\i, ji/, JA /J\a, ca/, JOO /J\o, co,

JJ\o, jo/,

> JU /J\u, cu, ju/, JO /J\O, c\O, JJ\O/;
> NJEE /JJ\e, je/, NJA, NJU;
> YA;
> KEE, KI, KA, KOO, KU, KO, KE;
> NGGEE, NGGI, NGGA, NGGO;
> GEE, GA, GOO, GU /gu, Ngu/, GO, GE;
> MI, MA, MU, MO, ME;
> NI, NA, NU, NO, NE;
> NYI, NYA, NYU, NYO, NYE;
> NG.
>
> I have also omitted 17 symbols that look as though they have

recently

> been distinguished by the double dot diacritic even when the
> distinction goes back to 1849.
>
> (Note that d_< is the implosive dental stop, J is the palatal

nasal,

> and J\ is the voiced palatal stop.)
>
> Richard.