LL-L "Orthography" 2002.11.02 (04) [S]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 02.NOV.2002 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
 L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic
               V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: John M. Tait <jmtait at wirhoose.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Orthography" 2002.10.31 (11) [E/S]

Sandy wrate:

>It is sut true. The'r nae richt rules in English orthography,
>juist derivations o what's the maist uizual wey tae write
>things. This is how A'v got 'principles' in quotes abuin. Can
>ye set doun the consonant-dooblin rule in sic a wey as it's
>vera near aye richt?

Ye canna dae't sae as ti expone aathing at kythes in English orthography -
obviously - but thare wad be naething hinderin ye ti cleck rules foondit on
the maist general English practics, an then stickin ti thaim for the Scots
spellin. For example, in English spellin _v_ is no doobled, but in Scots
spellin ye coud dooble the _v_ efter the same rules as maist ither letters -
giein contrasts like 'rive' but 'rivven', ti correspond ti 'hide', 'hidden'.
I wad hae thocht the rule thare wis obvious eneuch - at the single consonant
alters the soond o the aforegaun vowel, but the rule is broken wi _v_ in
English.
>
>> French an ither anes, like 'touch'). Sae ye'v ti recognise thaim
>> as sindrie
>> systems - an morphological spellins the likes o '-na' an '-fu' as
>> anither.
>
>How hiv ye tae? The'r'd be naething wrang wi writin 'tutch'
>"staishin" an siclike ayont the auld excuise that fowk wadna
>like it.

Ye dinna _hiv_ ti, an thare wadna be onything wrang wi writin siclike words
efter the rules at ye uise for the words o OE an ON origin. Whit I'm sayin
(or tryin til) is at the existence o siclike etymological spellins needna
mean at ye hiv ti write aff the hale spellin as inconsistent. Thare wad be
naething hinderin ye ti hae a mair consistent spellin for the OE an ON words
(whitiver it wis) an at the same time mak exceptions o the Latin, Greek, an
aiblins French words.
>
>> whiles wonder whit Scots spellin wad be like gin it wis spelt efter the
>> spellin rules o the Latin an Greek loanwords - wi nae, or little,
>> consonant
>> dooblin, for example. I ken ye'v cleckit sic a system yersel
>> afore nou, but
>> wad it be different gin the ettle wis ti haud the Latinate an Greek word
i
>> the same system? Wad it be possible?
>>
>> Haith - I'v likely stertit ye aff again....!
>
>A dinna see hou this can be duin at aa. The Romans an Greeks
>atween them didna hae eneuch vouels for us, sae the'r nae
>precedents for the digraphs we'd need.

Weel, mibbie it coudna be duin - I dinna think I'll try it! But I wad
imagine at this wad be a recipe for a spellin foondit on diacritics. A
spellin adaptit strecht frae the Latin - an sae evytin the fashious
consonant dooblin rules o English, for example - wi addeetions whaur nott,
wad aiblins can incorporate the Latin pairt o the vocabular intil a mair
consistent hale.
>
>A daur say it's aesy eneuch tae simplify English/Scots spellin
>dramatically wi the conseestent application o ane or twa rules.
>Gin ye juist sayed "nae magic E, nae dooblt vowels" like A did
>in thon system o mines, ye'd be hauf roads tae reddin the hale
>midden!

Is that no mair or less whit I wis sayin abuin?

John M. Tait.

http://www.wirhoose.co.uk

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