[iso15924-jac] Re: Phonetic orthographies

Marion Gunn mgunn at egt.ie
Thu Nov 23 15:00:33 CET 2006


On 23 Nov 2006, at 00:05, scríobh Kenneth Whistler:
> Peter,
> Well, even this first point is problematical, because it immediately
> runs afoul of Hans and Hant, which is an orthographic distinction
> in Han, encoded as a "script variant" in 15924, despite the fact
> that it applies only to one language...

I agree. (That is self-evident.) Anyway, IPA is applicable to  
languages in general.

On 22 Nov 2006, at 19:44, scríobh Kenneth Whistler:

> ... Sorry, I wouldn't take your job. ;-)

Nor I yours, but I thank you for your kindness in giving it real  
consideration.:-)

> Yes, Marion!! If you will read, please. I don't consider
> philological work on recordings of now-extinct languages to
> be "salvage linguistic fieldwork."

Nor do I - I'd rather hear more of your current work with cultural  
elements which can still be salvaged (even if only by transcribing  
from scratchy tapes - which I have done it myself, just like you).  
For the record, having seen and used excellent IPA transcriptions of  
Irish speech done by Germans unskilled in our grammar or orthography,  
whom we bless because we, as native dialectologists, have found their  
work invaluable for analyzing things independent of orthographies,  
such as realtime syntax, pronunciation, etc. and we can easily  
transcribe from IPA into something the young generation can  
assimilate without knowing anything of the trouble we went to to  
secure it.

> I worked in California
> in the mid-70's with speakers of a profoundly moribund
> language...

I congratulate you on that, and hope any similar work you and your  
compatriots are currently doing for endangered native American  
language communities may succeed, as work deserving of every blessing.


On 22 Nov 2006, at 03:23, scríobh Martin Hosken:
> IPA is a script/transcription system that is used for multiple  
> languages
> even more than Roman script. I.e. a reader of IPA can do a pretty good
> job of sounding out text in a language written using it, that they do
> not know...

Amen.
mg

- -
Marion Gunn * EGTeo (Estab.1991)
27 Páirc an Fhéithlinn, Baile an
Bhóthair, Co. Átha Cliath, Éire.
* mgunn at egt.ie * eamonn at egt.ie *



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