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词条 Romic alphabet
释义

  1. Tables

     Consonants  Vowels 

  2. History

     Vowels  Consonants  Modifications of consonants  Stress and pitch 

  3. See also

  4. Bibliography

  5. External links

  6. Notes

{{Infobox Writing system
| name = Romic alphabet
| type = Alphabet
| time = 19th century
| languages = various
| creator = Henry Sweet
| family = Palaeotype alphabet, English Phonotypic Alphabet
| children = International Phonetic Alphabet
}}

The Romic Alphabet, sometimes known as the Romic Reform, is a phonetic alphabet proposed by Henry Sweet. It descends from Ellis's Palaeotype alphabet and English Phonotypic Alphabet, and is the direct ancestor of the International Phonetic Alphabet. In Romic every sound had a dedicated symbol, and every symbol represented a single sound. There were no capital letters; there were letters derived from small capitals, though these were distinct letters.

There were two variants, Broad Romic and Narrow Romic. Narrow Romic utilized italics to distinguish fine details of pronunciation; Broad Romic was cruder, and in it the vowels had their English "short" sounds when written singly, and their "long" sounds when doubled:

{{quote|If the beginner has once learnt to pronounce a, e, i, o, u, as in glass, bet, bit, not, dull, he simply has to remember that long vowels are doubled, as in biit—"beat", and fuul—"fool", and diphthongs formed by the juxtaposition of their elements, as in boi—"boy" and hai—"high" [...]}}

Sweet adopted from Ellis and earlier philologists a method creating new letters by rotating existing ones, as in this way no new type would need to be cast:

{{quote|There is, however, one simple method of forming new letters without casting new types, which is very often convenient. This is by turning the letters, thus - {{IPA|ə}}, {{IPA|ɔ}}. These new letters are perfectly distinct in shape, and are easily written. The {{IPA|ə}} was first employed by Schmeller to denote the final e-sound in the German gabe, &c. Mr. Ellis, in his ‘Palæotype,’ uses it to denote the allied English sound in but.|sign=Henry Sweet|source=A Handbook of Phonetics, 1877, p. 175}}

The IPA letter {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɔ}}}} acquired its modern pronunciation and first use with this alphabet. He resurrected three Anglo-Saxon letters, ash {{IPA|{{angle bracket|æ}}}}, eth {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ð}}}} and thorn {{IPA|{{angle bracket|þ}}}}, the first two of which had the pronunciations they retain in the IPA.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}{{fix|text=these may have been used earlier}}

Tables

Consonants

The consonants were as follows by 1892:[1]

  Lab. Lab-D. Dent. Alv. Palv. Pal. Velar Labv. Phar. Glot.
Nasal mh  ·  m     nh  ·  n   ñh  ·  ñ ŋh  ·  ŋ      
Plosive p  ·  b     t  ·  d   c  ·  ɟ k  ·  g    text=missing
in source}}
Fric./approx. ϕ  ·  β f  ·  v þ  ·  ð s  ·  z ʃ  ·  ʒ ç  ·  j x  ·  ᵹ ʍ  ·  w ɹh  ·  ɹ h  · 
Lateral       lh  ·  l   λh  ·  λ ꞁh  ·  ꞁ      
Rhotic       rh  ·  r          
{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ñ ᵹ ɹ λ ꞁ}}}} were replaced with {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɲ ɣ ʕ ʎ ʟ}}}} in the IPA.[2] Apart from Sweet's use of italic h for voicelessness, the rest of the alphabet continues intact in the modern IPA.

Vowels

The vowels were as follows by 1892.[1]

In "wide" vowels, the tongue is described as relaxed and flattened; in "narrow", it is tense and more convex. This corresponds to descriptions of vowels as lax and tense. Lax vowels are indicated by italic type. In the case of the mid back unrounded vowel {{IPA|{{anglebracket|a}}}}, the description of its place of articulation does not accord well with some of the words given as examples. Sweet described vowels as narrowed with the tongue raised as in high vowels, but the jaw open as in low vowels. This conflicts with the presentation of the IPA, in which high and close are synonymous, as are low and open. Other than the back unrounded vowels and the value of {{IPA|{{anglebracket|ə}}}} for IPA {{IPA|[ø]}} (but also for English bird, in broad notation), Sweet's notation is essentially that of the IPA.

Tense vowels
(italicize for lax vowels)
FrontCentralBack
Highi · yï · üʌ · u
Mid e · ə ë · ö a[4]· o
Low æ · œ ä · ɔ̈ ɐ · ɔ

Italic a takes its traditional shape, which would later be made distinct in the IPA. That is, italic a was {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɑ}}}}, and italic ɐ, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɒ}}}}. Long vowels are written double. Nasal vowels with an italic nasal consonant letter, such as {{IPA|{{angle bracket|an}}}} or (for French) {{IPA|{{angle bracket|aŋ}}}}.

These are defined by Sweet as:

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|i}}}}: French si, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|e}}}}: German See, Scots say, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|æ}}}}: Swedish lära

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|y}}}}: French lune, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ə}}}}: French peu, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|œ}}}}: Swedish för

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ï}}}}: Welsh un, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ë}}}}: German Gabe, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ä}}}}: English sir

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ü}}}}: Norwegian hus, ...

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʌ}}}}: Gaelic laogh,[3] {{IPA|{{angle bracket|a}}}}: English but,[4] {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɐ}}}}: Cockney park

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|u}}}}: French sou, Scots book, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|o}}}}: German so, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɔ}}}}: English law

The lax vowels are defined by Sweet as:

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|i}}}}: English bit, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|e}}}}: English men, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|æ}}}}: English man

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ə}}}}: French peur, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|œ}}}}: (German götter is overrounded œ)

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ï}}}}: English pretty, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ë}}}}: start of English eye, better, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɑ̈}}}}: start of English how, Portuguese cama

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ü}}}}: English value, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ő}}}}: French homme

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɑ}}}}: English father, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɒ}}}}: Swedish mat

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|u}}}}: English put, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|o}}}}: German stock, English boy, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɔ}}}}: English not

History

The 1877 version of the Romic alphabet differed rather substantially from the 1892 version. It was very similar to Ellis's Paleotype.

Vowels

Central vowels were indicated with a (non-italic) h rather than a diaeresis, with regular {{IPA|{{angle bracket|æh}}}} for later irregular {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ä}}}}.

The unrounded back vowels were irregular in their composition, in that laxness was not indicated by italicizing, which was used instead for the low vowels. They were (tense) high {{IPA|{{angle bracket|Ɐ}}}}, mid {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɐ}}}} (English but), low {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɒ}}}} and (lax) high {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ᴀ}}}}, mid {{IPA|{{angle bracket|a}}}} (English father) and low {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɑ}}}} (Scots father).

{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʌ}}}} was used for the unstressed English schwa. It was not listed in the vowel chart because it was not considered to have any particular articulation, being merely an independent element of voicing (what Sweet called a 'glide vowel'), and the voiced equivalent of unarticulated {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʜ}}}} (which would later become {{IPA|{{angle bracket|h}}}}). {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʜh}}}} is an open glottis, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʌh}}}} (or {{IPA|{{angle bracket|‘ʌ}}}}) a whispery glottis.

Nasal vowels were indicated with a following italic n, the French "gutteral" nasals with a following italic q, as in {{IPA|{{angle bracket|an}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|aq}}}}.

Vowel length was indicated with following {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɪ}}}} rather than doubling, as in {{IPA|{{angle bracket|aɪ}}}} (or extra-long {{IPA|{{angle bracket|aɪɪ}}}}).

Reduced or barely pronounced sounds were marked by brackets, so {{IPA|{{angle bracket|[i]}}}}.

Indices were used to avoid complex detail when it would be understood, as {{IPA|{{angle bracket|e¹, o¹}}}} for English diphthongal {{IPA|[eɪ, oʊ]}}

Consonants

Glottal stop was x, the velar nasal q. Digraphs were used where later Sweet would use distinct characters.

  Lab. Lab-D. Dent. Alv. Palv. Pal. Velar Labv. Phar. Glot.
Nasal mh · m     nh · n   ɴh · ɴ qh · q      
Plosive p · b     t · d   ᴛ · ᴅ[5] k · g     x
Fric./approx. ph · bh f · v th · dh s · z
rh · r		 sh · zh jh · j kh · gh wh · w ʀh · ʀ ʜ · ʌ
Lateral       lh · l   ʟh · ʟꞀ}}h · {{sc|Ꞁ}}      
{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʜ}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʌ}}}} (IPA [h] and [ə]) might both be considered vowels, without any particular place of articulation, though at least [h] can sometimes behave as a glottal consonant.

English ch and j sounds were written {{IPA|{{angle bracket|tsh}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|dzh}}}}. {{IPA|{{angle bracket|r}}}} was specifically an English {{IPA|[ɹ]}}.

Modifications of consonants

Consonants took diacritics for fronting, as in dental {{IPA|{{angle bracket|t̖}}}},[6] or retraction, as in uvular {{IPA|{{angle bracket|k̗}}}}, retroflection, as in {{IPA|{{angle bracket|t⸸}}}}, and protrusion, as in interdental {{IPA|{{angle bracket|t†}}}}.

Where the IPA uses superscript letters for secondary articulation, Sweet used italics. Labialization and palatalization were indicated by a following italic {{IPA|{{angle bracket|w}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|j}}}}. An italic {{IPA|{{angle bracket|r}}}} was used for trills, e.g. Italian {{IPA|{{angle bracket|rr}}}} (and voiceless Welsh {{IPA|{{angle bracket|rhr}}}}), German {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ghr}}}}, bilabial {{IPA|{{angle bracket|bhr}}}}, and epiglottal {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʀr}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʀhr}}}} as in Arabic ain and heth.

Aspiration was marked with {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʜ}}}}. (This was not italicized, but would be later when replaced with h.) Whispered sounds were marked e.g. {{IPA|{{angle bracket|‘z}}}}.

Simultaneous articulation was marked with *, as in {{IPA|{{angle bracket|k*p}}}}.

As with vowels, barely articulated or pronounced consonants were set off with [brackets].

Much of the notation for phonetic detail may have carried over into later versions.

Stress and pitch

Stress is indicated with a {{IPA|{{angle bracket|·}}}} placed after the onset of the syllable, as in {{IPA|{{angle bracket|t·rehih}}}} 'try' ({{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʌt·rehih}}}} 'a try' vs {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ʌtr·ehih}}}} 'at Rye'). Extra stress was marked with doubled {{IPA|{{angle bracket|··}}}}, half stress with {{IPA|{{angle bracket|:}}}}. Increasing, decreasing and level stress (illustrated with the letter 'a') were {{IPA|{{angle bracket|a᷾}}}}, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ā̄}}}}, {{IPA|{{angle bracket|a͐}}}}.

Tone and intonation were indicated with iconic symbols such as rising {{IPA|{{angle bracket|/}}}}, falling {{IPA|{{angle bracket|\\}}}}, level {{IPA|{{angle bracket|−}}}}, rising-falling {{IPA|{{angle bracket|^}}}}, etc., as in early IPA usage.

See also

  • History of the IPA

Bibliography

  • Sweet, Henry. (1877) A handbook of phonetics, including a popular exposition of the principles of spelling reform, Oxford: Clarendon Press. ([https://archive.org/details/handbookofphonet00swee on archive.org])

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070827232052/http://victorian.fortunecity.com/vangogh/555/Spell/sweet-short.html Henry Sweet's Romic alphabet reform]

Notes

1. ^1 Henry Sweet, A Primer of Phonetics, Clarendon Press, 1892.
2. ^{{IPA|{{angle bracket|ꞁ}}}} was principally used for dark (velarized) {{IPA|[ɫ]}}, which Sweet analyzed as a velar sound.
3. ^This is indeed a high back unrounded vowel {{IPA|[ɯː]}} in Scottish Gaelic.
4. ^1 In broad transcription, Sweet used {{IPA|{{anglebracket|a}}}} for French patte and Northern German mann and, as long {{IPA|{{anglebracket|aa}}}}, for English father and German name, while he used {{IPA|{{anglebracket|ɐ}}}} for come, which has the same vowel as but (next) – essentially the same as the usage of these letters in the IPA. However, these transcriptions may be remnants of his earlier sound values for these letters – see #History.
5. ^Although specifically palatal in the explanation of symbols in the table. Although {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ᴛ}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ᴅ}}}} are elsewhere defined as palatalized {{IPA|{{angle bracket|tj}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|dj}}}}, contrasting with {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ᴋ}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ɢ}}}} for palatalized {{IPA|{{angle bracket|kj}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|gj}}}}, here Sweet notes that palatal {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ᴛ}}}} and {{IPA|{{angle bracket|ᴅ}}}} are merely likely to be confounded with the palatalized sounds.
6. ^Though the dental fricative was simply {{IPA|{{angle bracket|th}}}}, without a diacritic.

2 : Phonetic alphabets|English spelling reform
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