Alphabet and Phonology
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This public article was written by [Deactivated User], and last updated on 31 Jan 2017, 17:48.
[comments] zaxalphabetphonologypronunciation
3. Impersonal verbs
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4. Verb Tenses
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This article is a work in progress! Check back later in case any changes have occurred.
This article is a work in progress! Check back later in case any changes have occurred.
The are 28 letters in the Zaxon alphabet, 26 of which are basic Latin letters plus two extra ones (Ø and Ɯ). Ø comes between O and P, and Ɯ comes between U and V in the alphabetical order.
| Letter | Name | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Aa | a | [a] |
| Bb | be | [bɪ] |
| Cc | ce | [t͡sɪ] |
| Dd | de | [dɪ] |
| Ee | e | [e] ~ [ɛ] |
| Ff | eff | [ɛf] |
| Gg | ge | [gɪ] |
| Hh | he | [hɪ] |
| Ii | i | [i] |
| Jj | jau | [d͡ʒaʊ] |
| Kk | ke | [kɪ] |
| Ll | ell | [ɛl] |
| Mm | emm | [ɛm] |
| Nn | enn | [ɛn] |
| Oo | o | [ɔ] |
| Øø | ø | [ʌ] |
| Pp | pe | [pɪ] |
| qau | [kaʊ] | |
| Rr | ar | [aɾ] |
| Ss | ess | [ɛs] |
| Tt | te | [tɪ] |
| Uu | u | [u] |
| Ɯɯ | ɯ | [y] |
| Vv | ve | [vɪ] |
| Ww | wau | [vaʊ] |
| Xx | ix | [iks] ~ [ɪks] |
| Yy | ipsiløn | ['i.psi.lən] |
| Zz | ze | [zɪ] |
These are the consonant graphemes in Zaxon and the sounds they can correspond to. Graphemes marked with an asterisk (*) can also have a vowel sound, as seen in the next section.
| Grapheme | IPA | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| b | /b/ | ball (ball) | (before hr it devoices to a /p/ sound) |
| c | /t͡s/ | city (city) | Before e, i, and y. |
| /k/ | caet (cat) | Elsewhere, when not part of a digraph. | |
| cc | /k/ | xiccer (teacup / coffee cup) zuccen (juices) | Before e, i, and y only in plural forms of nouns ending in c and in words in which in English are not spelled with ct or cc pronounced as /ks/. Before other letters, always. |
| /kt͡s/ | accion (action) accident (accident) | Before e, i, and y in words in which in English are spelled with ct or cc pronounced as /ks/. | |
| ch | /x/ | buch (book) chlor (chlorine) | After /a/, /o/, /ɔ/, /u/, and /ʊ/, or before l or r in the same syllable. |
| /ç/ | echt (eight) Chimic (Chemistry) | Elsewhere. | |
| ck | /k/ | packet (package) | |
| d | /d/ | dag (day / today) | |
| dj | /d͡ʒ/ | Djibuti (Djibouti) adjectiv (adjective) | |
| dt | /t/ | madter (mother) badt (bath / bathtub) | |
| f | /f/ | fish (fish) | |
| g | /g/ | gelt (money) | (before hr it devoices to a /k/ sound) |
| h | /h/ | haus (house) | Except when part of a digraph, or before a consonant. |
| - | dehn (of the - pl.) | Before a consonant except r. | |
| hr* | /ʁ/ | ghrup (group) bhrot (bread) | After a consonant except c, s, and z. |
| i* | /j/ | India (India) | Sometimes, when before a vowel. |
| j | /d͡ʒ/ | je (I) | Except when part of a digraph. |
| jh | /t͡ʃ/ | jhaer (chair) | |
| k | /k/ | kev (key) | |
| l | /l/ | lamp (lamp) | |
| m | /m/ | madter (mother) | |
| mn | /m(n)/ | autumn (autumn) | At the word of a word. The /n/ sound is optional, it can be omitted since /mn/ might be hard to pronounce at the end of a word. |
| /mn/ | omnibus (bus) | Elsewhere. | |
| n | /n/ | nain (nine) | Except when part of a digraph. |
| ng | /ŋ/ | lang (long) | At the word of a word. |
| /ŋg/ | finger (finger) langzam (slow) | Elsewhere. | |
| nk | /ŋk/ | bank (bank) | |
| p | /p/ | pleg (play) | |
| q | /k/ | qvestion (question) | |
| qqu | /kw/ ~ /kv/ | aqqua (aqua) | Both pronunciations are correct. |
| qu | /hw/ ~ /kv/ | quenn (when) | Both pronunciations are correct. |
| r | /ʁ/ | rat (rat) bedtraum (bedroom) | In the beginning of a word or in a compound word in which one of the root words begins with r. |
| /ɾ/ | werk (work) nier (near) | Elsewhere, except when part of a digraph. | |
| rr | /ʁ/ | error (error / mistake) gerr (war) | Not used after a consonant, where the digraph hr is preferred. |
| s | /t͡s/ | serviss (service) horsen (horses) | Before a vowel, except if preceded by a consonant different than l, n, or r, except when part of a digraph. |
| /s/ | spiegel (mirror) Psycology (Psychology) | Before a consonant, or if preceded by a consonant different than l, n, or r, except when part of a digraph. (before a voiced consonant it might or might not voice to a /z/ sound) | |
| sc | /t͡s/ | nascier (to be born) | Before e, i, or y, except if preceded by a consonant different than l, n, or r or if the letter c is part of a different digraph. |
| /s/ | pscinn (swimming pool) | Before e, i, or y, if preceded by a consonant different than l, n, or r, except if the letter c is part of a different digraph. | |
| /sk/ | scrib (to write) | Elsewhere, except if the letter c is part of a digraph. | |
| sh | /ʃ/ | shuh (shoe) | |
| t | /t/ | taim (time) | |
| v | /v/ | vas (vase) | |
| vn | /v(ə)n/ | davn (down) | At the end of a word. The /ə/ sound can be inserted because /vn/ might be hard to pronounce at the end of a word. |
| /vn/ | ovner (owner) | Elsewhere. | |
| w | /v/ | windov (window) | |
| x | /ks/ | xet (but) taxi (taxi) | |
| y* | /j/ | ye (you - pl.) yacht (yacht) | At the beginning of a word before a vowel. |
| z | /t͡s/ | forz (force) danz (dance) | In the end of a word, when after l, n, or r. |
| /s/ | ezt (ate / eaten) | Before an unvoiced consonant. | |
| /z/ | zun (sun) | Elsewhere, except when part of a digraph. | |
| zh | /ʒ/ | Paragvazh (Paraguay) |
The double consonants bb, dd, ff, gg, kk, ll, mm, nn, pp, ss, tt, vv, zz follow the same pronunciation rules as the non-doubled counterparts and are not geminate (e.g. mm is pronounced /m/ not /mm/).
These are the vowel graphemes in Zaxon and the sounds they can correspond to. Graphemes marked with an asterisk (*) can also have a consonant sound, as seen in the previous section. Sounds that mix vowel and consonant sounds have been included in this section as well. Unlike consonants, vowel sounds can be quite unpredictable as it usually depends on each word.
| Grapheme | IPA | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | /a/ | apfel (apple) morag (tomorrow) | In stressed syllables or before a consonant in the same syllable, when not part of a digraph. |
| /ɐ/ | soda (soda) banaena (banana) | In non-stressed syllables when not followed by a consonant in the same syllable and not part of a digraph. | |
| ae | /ɛ/ | aer (air) | |
| ai | /a.j/ | faier (fire) | Before a vowel. The /a/ sound and the /j/ sound are in separate syllables. |
| /aɪ/ | main (my / mine) | Elsewhere. | |
| au | /a.w/ | tauer (tower) | Before a vowel. The /a/ sound and the /w/ sound are in separate syllables. |
| /aʊ/ | aug (eye) | Elsewhere. | |
| e | /e/ | evenend (evening) | The sound of the letter e is variable, it depends on each word. It's not so common in non-stressed syllables, though. |
| /ɛ/ | elt (old) | The sound of the letter e is variable, it depends on each word. It's not so common in non-stressed syllables, though. | |
| /ɪ/ | echt (eight) tauer (tower) | The sound of the letter e is variable, it depends on each word. In non-stressed syllables this is the most common sound for this letter, but it can also occur in stressed syllables. | |
| ee | /e/ | idee (idea) | |
| eu | /eʊ/ | Deujhland (Germany) | In stressed syllables. |
| /ɪʊ/ | Europ (Europe) | In non-stressed syllables. | |
| hr* | /ɐ/ | uhr (hour) mehr (more) | After a vowel. |
| i* | /i/ | idee (idea) April (April) | |
| /ɪ/ | April (April) | Allophone of /i/ in some words. | |
| ie | /i/ | grien (green) | The sound of the vowel cluster ie is variable, but most of the time it's /i/. |
| /i.e/ ~ /i.ɪ/ | gien (to go) | The sound of the vowel cluster ie is variable, but most of the time it's /i/. | |
| o | /ɔ/ | off (off) | The sound of the letter o is variable, it depends on each word. It's not so common in non-stressed syllables, though. |
| /o/ | todt (tooth) | The sound of the letter o is variable, it depends on each word. It's not so common in non-stressed syllables, though. | |
| /ʊ/ | auto (car) | The sound of the letter o is variable, it depends on each word. It's more common in non-stressed syllables, though. | |
| oi | /ɔɪ/ | join (to join) joi (jewelry) | |
| oo | /o/ | poo (poop) | |
| oy | /oɪ/ | joy (joy) boy (boy) | |
| ø | /ʌ/ | tørtig (thirty) | In stressed syllables. |
| /ə/ | ipsiløn (wye - Y) | In non-stressed syllables. | |
| u | /u/ | up (on / up) zun (sun) | |
| /ʊ/ | zun (sun) | Allophone of /u/ in some words. | |
| ue | /y/ | kuechen (kitchen) | The sound of the vowel cluster ue is variable, it depends on each word, but it's most commonly /y/. |
| /u.e/ | duet (duet / would have done) | The sound of the vowel cluster ue is variable, it depends on each word, but it's most commonly /y/. | |
| /u.ɪ/ | shuen (shoes) | The sound of the vowel cluster ue is variable, it depends on each word, but it's most commonly /y/. | |
| ɯ | /y/ | shɯn (beautiful) Ɯsterraich (Austria) | |
| y* | /i/ | city (city) oxygen (oxygen) | The sound of the letter y is variable, it depends on each word. |
| /aɪ/ | by (by) hydrogen (hydrogen) | The sound of the letter y is variable, it depends on each word. |
Zaxon doesn't differentiate long and short vowels, so every vowel sound can be pronounced either as a long or as a short vowel. ✎ Edit Article ✖ Delete Article
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