LL-L: "Phonology" LOWLANDS-L, 30.OCT.1999 (03) [S]

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From: Sandy Fleiman [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: "Phonology"

> From: John M. Tait [jmtait at altavista.net]
> Subject:  LL-L: "Phonology" LOWLANDS-L, 26.OCT.1999 (01) [S]
>
> Ye'r no quick eneuch, Sandy!

Awa, it wis aboot a week syne, min!

> I gree at writin /z/ as <z> wad be a lot mair readable nor <ss> for /s/.

Sae we'r at laest gree'd on ae thing adae wi orthography!

> o heid-space. At a meinimum ye maun recognise at laest three
> kynds o spellins:
>
> 1. Etymological anes, like _nation_.
>
> 2. Morphological anes, like the -FU, -NA an -S plural endins.
>
> 3. Phonemic an diaphonemic anes, like maist consonants (in maist
> circumstances); OO and/or OU; UI.
>
> I seem ti mynd I'v haurd ye sayin muckle the same yersel!

Ay, A think that's richt in fact - A mibbie juist didna pit it as claer.

A think the ae discouragin thing aboot a threefauld spellin seestem like
that is it's no as aesy tae teach as a purer seestem. Like A'v aye says,
tho, the teachin o'd isna the main conseederation (tho A dout fowk in
education wad maistwhiles think sae) - the main conseederation is hou weel
it wirks in actual uise.

It minds me a bit on hou lang areethmetic's tocht (we _div_ say "tocht" in
ma dialect!): the schuils teach bairns tae dae aathing algoreethmical, an
for addin, takkin awa & multiplyin, this means wirkin richt tae left. But
maist skeely calculators seems tae wirk left tae richt, as weel's some
that's no sae skeely, like masel. The algorithmic methods is aesy tae teach
wi hou they'r broken doun intae wee steps, but they'r naewhare near the
neebor o hou the brain wirks. Generally the brain seeks quick, effortless
ootcomes bi applyin some kin o heuristics.

Sae A wadna say a phonemic spellin seestem's preferable juist wi hou the
rules is simple - fowk dinna think like that, they think on their langage as
words, aye, but they'r gey aften waur o the morphemes the words can be
broken doun intae an aa, sae yer pynt "2." abuin is important. Fowk's waur o
a kin o fauss etymology an aa - at laest in English an Scots fowk think on
the vocabulary as pairteetiont intae a wheen braid pseudo-etymological
clessifications (Anglo-Saxon, Romance, Greek an "ither"), hence a set o
rules like "1.". Ruleset 3 isna something maist fowk lifts bi naitur, of
course, but is nott if ye want the ae orthogrophy inower the hale mainland,
an juist haes tae be tocht.

A think lairners o English (an Scots, in theory), is whiles surprised that
the etymological clessifications seems claer tae native English spaekers.
The clue tae this is that it's no the genuine etymology, it's like A says, a
pseudo-etymology, aa adae wi the the feel o the word. Sae "bonny", "grand"
an "ashet"'s aa thocht on a Anglo-Saxon, even tho they come fae the French.
This isna juist a orthographical maiter - English spaekers mak the
disteenction aa the time, for example, in writin in different registers,
like in a aicademic document as forenenst a letter tae yer granny, whare the
writer'll aesy uize mair "Latinate" words in the aicademic screive, but his
walin o the words is based on the acceptit fauss etymology.

For (adult) Scots spaekers that wants tae learn tae write wi a guid
tradeetional Scots orthography (like A'm daein here) A wad suggest tae start
bi makkin shuir ye lift the English spellin rules gey weel: wi tradeetional
Scots spellin bein developed alangside the English, a lot o the rules aither
apply strecht tae the Scots, or can be modifee'd tae, or at laest gie some
insicht intae a guid alternative spellin for Scots.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org

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