Re: Is modern Vietnamese adaptable to represent tonal languages?

Thomas Chan scripsit:

> There's a copy of the scheme[1], to which the transcriber has added
> commentary and (his) transation.

Thanks for bringing this system to my attention: it of course is not tonal
spelling, but it does represent a compromise with HYPY, IMHO an over-compromise.

> One example of compromise, which is not explained in the scheme, but which can
> be seen from examples in the books that use it, is the transcription of
> the final consonants as <b>, <d>, <g> for unreleased, unaspirated, and
> unvoiced [p], [t], [k] (e.g., 'white' is <bag>, 'bone' is <gued>) which is
> totally unlike other romanizations, and while internally consistent, there
> is no aspiration distinction in non-initial position.

I'm not sure why you call this a "compromise"; it seems to me to represent
rather a valuable internal consistency. The traditional transliteration
-p, -t, -k seems to me a bad thing, given that p- t- k- are used (as seems
inevitable) for specifically aspirated sounds. AFAIK it is not the
case that there is no aspiration *distinction* in stop finals; the sounds are
never aspirated.

> Have you seen CHAO Yuen Ren's own Gwoyeu Romatzyh-like system for
> Cantonese?

I knew that he had devised this and other non-Mandarin schemes, but none
seems to have made it to the Net, AFAIK. If you know where they can be found,
please let me know.

> I don't think anyone ever really attempted to use Latin script seriously

I disclaim all purposes except the artistic.

> For the Han character-illiterate, I suppose.

Among which number I must be included...

(BTW, I can't remember if you were involved in the question of the name
"Chiang Kai-shek", and what dialect that could possibly represent.
If not, do you have any input on it?)

--
John Cowan jcowan@... www.ccil.org/~cowan www.reutershealth.com
"If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing
on my shoulders."
--Hal Abelson