posted
So I'm creating a language from scratch (well, not scratch, I'm borrowing from a lot of different places). I'm not necessarily sure how to write some of it so it's pronounced the way it's supposed to sound. It's for a book I've been trying to write for a couple years now, and while the language really isn't going to play a prominant role, I want a solid foundation for it before I use it too much, it's not something I want to make up as I go along, per se.
Is there a specific way to write a hard r sound? Where it's indicated that an r should be rolled? The word I'm trying to write is "aross," pronounced arr(hard r, rolled)- ose (as in rose).
Is there a specific way to write "homm" so the h is silent?
I have probably a dozen more questions, I've just never bothered to learn how various accents and such are written for pronounciation.
How would I write "ea" to be pronounced E-uh?
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
It's funny - when I saw your last one, I automatically assumed it was "E-uh." I really hate Latin. Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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posted
Why not just put the words in the way you think they should be spelled, and include a pronunciation guide and glossary for the back of the book?
And, hate to burst any bubbles, but even if you put in pronunciation guides, some readers are going to pronounce it differently in their heads anyway, some might even argue with you about how it "should" be pronounced.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
Ea (or E-uh) sounded like "ee-uh" or like "ay-uh"?
I've found I take language pronunciation in context with the rest of the language: if a fictitious language has some pronunciation that reflects a major romance language, I automatically mimic that language. Same with asian languages.
I also tend to default to romance/japanese vowel pronunciation (ah eh ee oh ooh as opposed to ay ee aye oh you), but that's likely a function of where I grew up.
quote:Is there a specific way to write a hard r sound? Where it's indicated that an r should be rolled? The word I'm trying to write is "aross," pronounced arr(hard r, rolled)- ose (as in rose).
Not to the best of my knowledge. The only way I can think of to give this context would be to emphasize it once or twice, like:
quote:"...aross," the man said. Lyrhawn tried not to giggle at the absurdly over-rolled R's.
posted
The examples you've given fit typical Spanish pronunciation.
"arroz" (=rice)
would be pronounced uh (roll the r) rohs (with an s sound instead of a z).
H before o in spanish is silent as well.
Is the "h" in your word significant for meaning? For pronunciation? Why is it there?
I think you could write the language the way you want it to be with consistent pronunciation rules, then explain those elsewhere.
(Also, following Latinate pronunciation isn't a bad idea. So many people have studied Latin or a romance language.)
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: I also tend to default to romance/japanese vowel pronunciation (ah eh ee oh ooh as opposed to ay ee aye oh you), but that's likely a function of where I grew up.
The last few years, I've been doing this as well. I don't think it's a function of where I grew up, but I think it's just because my knowledge of other languages has shifted that in me or something. Sort of weird.
As for the main topic of this, I'd go with Belle's idea. I mean you can't really make people pronounce things they way you have it in your head, but you can at least offer them a guide at the end if they are interested in pronouncing it as the author intended.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I was going with "ay-uh"... "Ea" is the feminine nominative singular form of the third person personal pronoun - in other words, means "she."
Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: I also tend to default to romance/japanese vowel pronunciation (ah eh ee oh ooh as opposed to ay ee aye oh you), but that's likely a function of where I grew up.
The last few years, I've been doing this as well. I don't think it's a function of where I grew up, but I think it's just because my knowledge of other languages has shifted that in me or something. Sort of weird.
I grew up in Hawaii, where the predominant language influences are Hawaiian and Japanese, followed closely by Chinese (and Filipino, to an extent), all of which follow the former vowel pronunciation. IIRC, you just spent a bunch of time in Japan (or are still there), ne? If so, we're likely under the same influence. Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Belle: Why not just put the words in the way you think they should be spelled, and include a pronunciation guide and glossary for the back of the book?
And, hate to burst any bubbles, but even if you put in pronunciation guides, some readers are going to pronounce it differently in their heads anyway, some might even argue with you about how it "should" be pronounced.
That's basically what I've been doing. And there's not much of a bubble there to burst, I've read enough books to know that people don't always read as the author intends. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't make an effort to make it easy as possible does it?
Pronounciation guide and glossary is probably the best idea, I hadn't considered something like that.
And the r's aren't rolled THAT had, it's not like Gandalf saying "Morrrrdorrr," just a quick roll. But like I said, I wasn't sure if there were any rules or techniques that indicate how to change the pronounciation of a word, I don't know how all the accents that go over letters, the slashes and dots and swooshes and what not work. If none of that does anything, then I'll just stick with the original plan, and just type them out, mostly, phonetically.
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