Spelling principles for the Read Lexicon
In the Shavian alphabet, spelling follows sound. The question often put to those who would reform English spelling is: whose pronunciation will you reflect? The approach adopted for Shavian since its first appearance is to use a sort of artificial ‘dialect’ of English, designed for maximum intelligibility across all varieties of English. Some principles adopted by the Read Lexicon include:
- Start with Received pronunciation
The starting point for spelling is modern ‘Received Pronunciation’ (RP) based on pronunciations given in modern dictionaries such as the Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, the Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary (which is more conservative) and other sources for more obscure words. RP basically provides the vowels and stress of the Read Lexicon. - Pronounce Rs as in North America, Ireland etc.
Unlike RP, all Rs are treated as though they are pronounced, as in rhotic varties of English used in North America, Ireland, Scotland and some parts of England. Hence the artificial dialect represented in the Kingsley Read Lexicon is a sort of mid-Atlantic compromise and could be described as ‘rhotic RP’. - Choose the RP pronunciation closest to General American
Where there are multiple recognised RP pronunciations, the pronunciation closest to General American (GA) is favoured, even if more conservative RP speakers may not regard it as the most prestigious pronunciation. Intelligibility is favoured over perceptions of prestige. - TRAP-BATH split and GA yod-dropping are optional
The Read Lexicon includes alternatives for some common variations in pronunciation. The default spelling reflects the TRAP-BATH split (i.e. the words ‘trap’ and ‘bath’ don’t rhyme), but the unsplit spelling is also given as an alternative. Similarly, where GA commonly drops the /j/ or yod sound after T, D, and N, this is also represented with an alternative spelling. - Include most optional schwas
Optional schwas /ə/ are included to the extent possible, while avoiding hyper-correctness. This assists with international intelligibility. For example, ‘history’ is /hɪstəri/ 𐑣𐑦𐑕𐑑𐑼𐑦 not /hɪstri/ 𐑣𐑦𐑕𐑑𐑮𐑦, and ‘dictionary’ is /dikʃənəri/ 𐑛𐑦𐑒𐑖𐑩𐑯𐑼𐑦 not /dɪkʃənri/ 𐑛𐑦𐑒𐑖𐑩𐑯𐑮𐑦. These spellings are less confusing for North American English speakers who, for example, might say something closer to /dɪkʃəneəri/ 𐑛𐑦𐑒𐑖𐑩𐑯𐑺𐑦. The only significant exception to adding in optional schwas is words ending in ‘-ally’. A small number of these words have a compulsory schwa, e.g. ‘personally" /pɜː(r)sənəli/ (which is written in Shavian), but most become simply /-li/ in both normal spoken RP and GA and so no schwa is used. - Allophonic /i/ is ·𐑦
Where RP has /iː/, the Kingsley Read Lexicon has 𐑰. Where RP has /i/ or /ɪ/, the Kingsley Read Lexicon has 𐑦. The a symbol /i/ is conventionally used in RP to represent a sound that could be pronounced as /iː/ or /ɪ/ with no change in meaning. In conservative RP it tended to be pronounced like /ɪ/, but has increasingly become pronounced like /iː/ but with a weak stress. This ambiguous /i/ is nonetheless distinguishable stress from the sound of the stressed /iː/ as in ‘trusty’ 𐑑𐑮𐑳𐑕𐑑𐑦 and ‘trustee’ 𐑑𐑮𐑳𐑕𐑑𐑰. - Allophonic /u/ is ·𐑫
The ambiguous and weakly stressed /u/ used in RP dictionaries similarly represents a sound that could be pronounced as /uː/ as in ‘rUle’ or /ʊ/ as in ‘bOOk’ without changing the meaning, as in ‘actUal’. In some cases the sound has become /ə/ in the decades since the mid-twentieth century, as in ‘tOday’. The Read Lexicon moves with the times where the common RP pronunciation has become /ə/. Where RP retains the indistinct allophone /u/, Shavian has 𐑫. - The ‘CURE’ vowel is 𐑫𐑼
The conservative RP /ʊə(r)/ in words like ‘cUre’ is retained. This diphthong seems to be diverging inconsistently across many varieties of English, tending towards /ɔː(r)/ in modern English accents, /ʊr/ in GA and /ʉə(r)/ in General Australian. This also varies between words within accents. Writing this as /ʊə(r)/ 𐑫𐑼 seems to ensure maximum intelligibility for now. - Represent yod-coalescence only where it is shared between RP and GA
Yod-coalescence is generally accepted where it occurs in RP and GA, so ‘fortune’ is /fɔː(r)tʃuːn/ 𐑓𐑹𐑗𐑵𐑯 not /fɔː(r)tjuːn/ 𐑓𐑹𐑑𐑿𐑯. However, where GA pronounces a plain /uː/ with no ‘yod’, and RP has a ‘yod’, then for intelligibility the ‘yod’ is retained uncoalesced, so ‘aptitude’ is /æptɪtjuːd/ 𐑨𐑐𐑑𐑦𐑑𐑿𐑛, not /æptɪtʃuːd/ 𐑨𐑐𐑑𐑦𐑗𐑵𐑛. - Do not use compound letters to connect affixes (the 'affix rule')
Compound letters (𐑼, 𐑾, 𐑽 etc.) are not used where an affix joins a word, but instead each sound is represented by a distinct letter. So ‘happy’ 𐑢𐑨𐑐𐑦 becomes ‘happier’ 𐑣𐑨𐑐𐑦𐑼, not 𐑣𐑨𐑐𐑽. ‘Infrared’ is 𐑦𐑯𐑓𐑮𐑩𐑮𐑧𐑛, not 𐑦𐑯𐑓𐑮𐑼𐑧𐑛. - Use the conventional ‘word signs’, unless they form part of a word without hyphenation
Standard Shavian word signs for ‘the’ 𐑞, ‘to’ 𐑑, ‘and’ 𐑯, ‘of’ 𐑝 and ‘for’ 𐑓 are used for standalone words, or where these words appear in hyphenanted terms, so ‘jack-in-the-box’ 𐑡𐑨𐑒-𐑦𐑯-𐑞-𐑚𐑪𐑒𐑕. When they appear unhyphenated in word, they are spelled out in full, e.g. ‘nevertheless’ 𐑯𐑧𐑝𐑼𐑞𐑩𐑤𐑧𐑕. ‘The’ 𐑞, ‘to’ 𐑑, ‘and’ 𐑯, ‘of’ 𐑝 and ‘for’ 𐑓 are represented phonetically by Ð, T, N, V, and F. - Use schwa in past tense -ed and plural -es
Standard Shavian spellings such as -𐑩𐑛 for the past tense -ed, and 𐑩𐑟 for -es are used, even if in RP or GA /-ɪd/ or /-ɪz/ are regarded as the more common pronunciations. This approach ensures that words like ‘parted’ 𐑐𐑸𐑑𐑩𐑛 and ‘partied’ 𐑐𐑸𐑑𐑦𐑛, or ‘roses’ 𐑮𐑴𐑟𐑩𐑟 and ‘Rosie’s’ ·𐑮𐑴𐑟𐑦𐑟, remain distinct, while also maintaining the distinction between ‘trusty’ 𐑑𐑮𐑳𐑕𐑑𐑦 and ‘trustee’ 𐑑𐑮𐑳𐑕𐑑𐑰.
