– SIAL –
An
International Auxiliary
Language
SIAL Phonology and Orthography
Vowel Placement
| | Front | Central |
Back |
|---|
| High |
i | i y |
|
u w | u |
|---|
| Mid |
e | e |
o | o |
|---|
| Low |
|
a | a |
|
|---|
- The diphthongs are <au>, <ai>,
<oi>, and <eu>; only the first is
common.
- <y> and <w> can never be
stressed.
Consonant POA & MOA
| |
Labial | Coronal |
Palatal | Velar |
|---|
| Voiceless Stops |
p | p |
|
t | t |
|
|
k | k |
|---|
| Voiced Stops |
b | b |
d | d |
g | g |
|---|
| Nasals |
m | m |
n | n- |
| |
. | J- |
. | N- |
|---|
| Voiceless Affricates |
|
|
|
tS)- t:S) | c cc |
|
|
|---|
| Voiceless Fricatives |
f | f |
s | s |
S- S: | c sc |
|---|
| Voiced Affricates |
|
|
j | dZ)- |
|---|
| Voiced Fricatives |
v | v |
z | z |
Z- |
|---|
| Rhotic |
|
r rr | 4 r: |
|
|---|
| Approximants |
w | w |
l | l |
y | j |
|---|
- <J> is a fricative in coda position and an affricate
in onset position.
- <C> is a fricative in coda position and an affricate
in onset position, except that <sc> a geminate
fricative and <cc> a geminate affricate.
- <N> is velar before a velar stop, palatal before
<y> (which is [j] here), and coronal
otherwise.
- <L> and <r> are in complimentary
distribution and may be pronounced identically.
Syllable Structure
Syllable structure is (C(L))V(C), where L is an approximant or
rhotic. Except for proper nouns, the following restrictions occur:
- <r> appears only after <t> or
<d>;
- <w> appears only after <k> or
<g>;
- <l> appears only after <p>,
<b>, <k>, or <g>.
Epenthesis
- An <e> is placed before an initial
<rr> in writing as well as in speech when there's no
immediately preceding word with a final vowel.
- An <i> is placed before an initial
<sp>, <st>, <sk>,
or <sc> in writing as well as in speech when there's no
immediately preceding word with a final vowel.
- An epenthetic [u] (sometimes [i]) may occur in
speech between two consonants or after a final consonant. This is never
represented in writing and doesn't affect stress.
Stress
Stress is mostly on the penult but may be on the ultima provided that either
the ultima is heavy or the word is monosyllabic.
page started: 2010.Jan.23 Sat
last modified: 2010.Feb.02 Tue
content and form originated by qiihoskeh
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