Difference between revisions of "Document:Novic Orthography"

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(Converting from Latin to Cyrillic)
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==Letters==
 
==Letters==
The Novmir alphabet contains thirty-four individual letters. Most of these represent a single consonant or vowel sound, but some represent a Y-sound followed by a vowel. Like the Latin English alphabet, some letters may have different pronunciations in different contexts. What these contexts are and how they affect pronunciation are discussed in greater detail in the following sections.
+
The Novic alphabet contains thirty-four individual letters. Like the Latin alphabet, some letters may have different pronunciations in different contexts. What these contexts are and how they affect pronunciation are discussed in greater detail in the following sections.
  
The Novmir alphabet is given in its entire in the following chart. The names of letters are given using phonetic spelling according to general English spelling conventions. The Latin column gives the letter's Latin equivalents. If a Latin equivalent contains more than one letter, the Cyrillic letter only replaces them when they are pronounced as a single sound. Instances of equivalence which depend on context are in greater detail under the section on [[Document:Introduction to the Novic Alphabet#Converting from Latin to Cyrillic|converting from Latin to Cyrillic]]. This chart is not intended to be comprehensive, and exceptions to the rules listed here may exist.
+
The Novic alphabet is given in its entirety in the following chart. The names of letters are given using phonetic spelling according to general English spelling conventions. The Latin column gives the letter's Latin equivalents. If a Latin equivalent contains more than one letter, the Cyrillic letter only replaces them when they are pronounced as a single sound. Instances of equivalence which depend on context are covered in greater detail under the section on [[Document:Introduction to the Novic Alphabet#Converting from Latin to Cyrillic|converting from Latin to Cyrillic]]. This chart is not intended to be comprehensive, and exceptions exist.
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
Line 49: Line 49:
 
 
 
 
|/yee/
+
|/ee/
|<e>, <ee>, <ye>
+
|<e>, <ei>, <ie>
|-align="center"
+
+
+
|/eth/
+
|<th>
+
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
 
Line 70: Line 65:
 
 
 
|/ie/
 
|/ie/
|<&#x69;>, <ie>, <y>, <ye>
+
|<&#x69;>, <y>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
 
Line 105: Line 100:
 
 
 
|/oo/
 
|/oo/
|<o>, <oo>
+
|<o>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
 
Line 134: Line 129:
 
 
 
 
|/wee/
+
|/wow/
 
|<&#x75;>, <w>
 
|<&#x75;>, <w>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
Line 144: Line 139:
 
 
 
 
|/kah/
+
|/kie/
 
|<ch>, <gh>
 
|<ch>, <gh>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
Line 162: Line 157:
 
|<ch>, <sh>
 
|<ch>, <sh>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
|Э
+
|
|э
+
|
|/ee/
+
|/yay/
|<e>, <ee>
+
|<ia>
 +
|-align="center"
 +
 +
 +
|/yee/
 +
|<ie>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
 
 
 
|/yoo/
+
|/yoe/
|<io>, <&#x75;>, <yu>
+
|<io>, <yo>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
|Я
+
|Ѳ
|я
+
|ѳ
|/yay/
+
|/eth/
|<ya>
+
|<th>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
|Ԙ
+
|Ѵ
|ԙ
+
|ѵ
|/shee/
+
|/yoo/
|<yea>
+
|<&#x75;>
 
|}
 
|}
  
Line 222: Line 222:
  
 
==Long and Short Vowels==
 
==Long and Short Vowels==
Just as in the Latin system of writing, most vowels have both a long and short pronunciation, the choice between the two of which is indicated by surrounding letters. The Cyrillic system uses only single and double consonants to indicate whether a vowel is long or short, as the Latin system does word internally. Silent E's are not used, and should always be dropped when converting to Cyrillic (e.g. <bane> → <бан>). Conversely, any single consonant following a short vowel should be doubled if it is not (e.g. "ban" → банн), unless it is followed by another consonant which is not a suffix (e.g. <bend> → <бенд>, not *<беннд>) or the consonant itself is Ѳ, Ҥ, or Ш, which are never doubled (e.g. <bash> → <баш>, not <башш>). The long and short values of some vowels are different from what they are in the Latin system. These differences are addressed in the following section.
+
Just as in the Latin system of writing, most vowels have both a long and short pronunciation. The Cyrillic system uses doubled letters to indicate a long vowel. Silent E's are not used, and should always be dropped when converting to Cyrillic (e.g. <bane> → <баан>). The long and short values of some vowels are different from what they are in the Latin system. These differences are addressed in the following section.
  
 
==Converting from Latin to Cyrillic==
 
==Converting from Latin to Cyrillic==
The following chart is intended to provide a convenient reference for turning English written in the Latin alphabet into Cyrillic. Any rules with multiple Latin letters only apply when the letters represent a single sound, with the exceptions of those beginning with the letter Y in some cases. In the context column gives the conditions under which a certain Latin to Cyrillic conversion is appropriate. Letters in slashes represent a certain pronunciation of the Latin letters. An underscore represent the letters in some context. A capital C in these cases represents a consonant, a V represents a vowel or the start of a word, L long vowel and S a short vowel. The null sign <Ø> indicates that a letter is not pronounced or should be replaced by nothing in Cyrillic. Any empty entry indicates all or all other contexts. This chart does not necessarily capture all subtleties of the differences between the Latin and Cyrillic systems, and exceptions may exist.
+
The following chart is intended to provide a convenient reference for turning English written in the Latin alphabet into Cyrillic. In the context column gives the conditions under which a certain Latin to Cyrillic conversion is appropriate. Letters in slashes represent a certain pronunciation of the Latin letters. An underscore represent the letters in some context. A capital C in these cases represents a consonant, a pound sign represents a word boundary and S a short vowel. The null sign <Ø> indicates that a letter is not pronounced or should be replaced by nothing in Cyrillic. Any empty entry indicates all or all other contexts. These rules in most cases only hold when the Latin letters are pronounced as a single sound. This chart does not necessarily capture all subtleties of the differences between the Latin and Cyrillic systems, and exceptions exist. Relatively recent foreign loanwords, words whose spelling does not reflect historical pronunciations but arbitrary conventions and the frequently abbreviated function words pose problems in particular.
  
 
{|class="wikitable"
 
{|class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 
!Latin
 
!Latin
 
!Context
 
!Context
Line 233: Line 234:
 
!Example
 
!Example
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
|<a>
+
|rowspan=2|<a>
 +
|/ay/
 +
|<аа>
 +
|<ate> → <аат>
 +
|-align="center"
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<а>
 
|<а>
|<all> → <алл>
+
|<all> → <ал>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
|<ai>
 
|<ai>
Line 258: Line 263:
 
|<say> → <сай>
 
|<say> → <сай>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
|rowspan=2|<&#x62;>
+
|<&#x62;>
|S_V
+
|<бб>
+
|<lob> → <лобб>
+
|-align=center
+
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<б>
 
|<б>
|<lobe> → <лåб>
+
|<bow> → <боў>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
|rowspan=3|<c>
 
|rowspan=3|<c>
 
|/s/
 
|/s/
 
|<с>
 
|<с>
|<ace> → <ас>
+
|<ace> → <аас>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|S_V
+
|/sh/
|<кк>
+
|<с>
|
+
|<ancient> → <ансѥнт>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<к>
 
|<к>
|<can> → <канн>
+
|<can> → <кан>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
|rowspan=3|<ch>
 
|rowspan=3|<ch>
Line 287: Line 288:
 
|/sh/
 
|/sh/
 
|<ш>
 
|<ш>
|<chute> → <шют>
+
|<chute> → <шѵт>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<ч>
 
|<ч>
|<chin> → <чинн>
+
|<chin> → <чин>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
|<ck>
+
|rowspan=2|<ck>
| -
+
|_V
 
|<кк>
 
|<кк>
|<back> → <бакк>
+
|<sicken> → <сиккен>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
|rowspan=2|<d>
 
|S_V
 
|<дд>
 
|<mad> → <мадд>
 
|-align=center
 
 
| -
 
| -
|<д>
+
|<к>
|<made> → <мад>
+
|<back> → <бак>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
|<dg>
+
|<d>
 
| -
 
| -
 +
|<д>
 +
|<mad> → <мад>
 +
|-align="center"
 +
|rowspan=2|<dg>
 +
|_V
 
|<жж>
 
|<жж>
|<badge> → <бажж>
+
|<badger> → <бажжер>
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| -
 +
|<ж>
 +
|<edge> → <еж>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
|rowspan=3|<e>
 
|rowspan=3|<e>
|V_
 
|<э>
 
|<end> → <энд>
 
|-align=center
 
 
|/Ø/
 
|/Ø/
 
|<Ø>
 
|<Ø>
|<ale> → <ал>
+
|<ale> → <аал>
 +
|-align=center
 +
|/ee/
 +
|<ее>
 +
|<scene> → <сеен>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<е>
 
|<е>
|<her> → <һерр>
+
|<end> → <енд>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
|<ea>
 
|<ea>
Line 330: Line 335:
 
|<sea> → <сӕ>
 
|<sea> → <сӕ>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|rowspan=2|<ee>
+
|rowspan=2|<ei>
|V_
+
|<э>
+
|<eel> → <эл>
+
|-align=center
+
| -
+
|<е>
+
|<feel> → <фел>
+
|-align=center
+
|rowspan=3|<ei>
+
 
|/ee/
 
|/ee/
|<е>
+
|<ее>
|<ceil> → <сел>
+
|<ceiling> → <сеелиҥ>
|-align="center"
+
|V_
+
|<эй>
+
|<eight> → <эйхт>
+
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<ей>
 
|<ей>
|<vein> → <вейн>
+
|<eight> → <ейхт>
 
|-align="center"
 
|-align="center"
|rowspan=2|<eu>
+
|<eu>
|V_
+
|<эў>
+
|<eulogy> → <эўложи>
+
|-align=center
+
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<еў>
 
|<еў>
Line 366: Line 354:
 
|<new> → <неў>
 
|<new> → <неў>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|<ey>
+
|rowspan=2|<ey>
 +
|/ee/
 +
|<ее>
 +
|<journey> → <журнее>
 +
|-align=center
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<ей>
 
|<ей>
Line 379: Line 371:
 
|/j/
 
|/j/
 
|<ж>
 
|<ж>
|<age> → <аж>
+
|<age> → <ааж>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|S_V
+
|/zh/
|<гг>
+
|<ж>
|<dig> → <дигг>
+
|<garage> → <гараж>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<г>
 
|<г>
|<gate> → <гат>
+
|<gate> → <гаат>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|rowspan=2|<gh>
 
|rowspan=2|<gh>
Line 397: Line 389:
 
|<х>
 
|<х>
 
|<night> → <нихт>
 
|<night> → <нихт>
 +
|-align=center
 +
|<gi>
 +
| -
 +
|<ж>
 +
|<region> → <режон>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|<gu>
 
|<gu>
Line 406: Line 403:
 
|/Ø/
 
|/Ø/
 
|<Ø>
 
|<Ø>
|<hour> → <ур>
+
|<hour> → <уур>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<һ>
 
|<һ>
|<hill> → <һилл>
+
|<hill> → <һил>
 +
|-align=center
 +
|rowspan=2|<&#x69;>
 +
|/ie/
 +
|<ии>
 +
|<line> → <лиин>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|<&#x69;>
 
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<и>
 
|<и>
|<bin> → <бинн>
+
|<bin> → <бин>
 +
|-align="center"
 +
|<ia>
 +
| -
 +
|<ꙗ>
 +
|<menial> → <менꙗл>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|rowspan=2|<ie>
+
|rowspan=4|<ie>
 
|/ee/
 
|/ee/
 +
|<ее>
 +
|<piece> → <пеес>
 +
|-align=center
 +
|/eh/
 
|<е>
 
|<е>
|<piece> → <пес>
+
|<friend> → <френд>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
| -
+
|/ie/
|<и>
+
|<ии>
|<pie> → <пи>
+
|<pie> → <пии>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 +
| -
 +
|<ѥ>
 +
|<patient> → <пасѥнт>
 +
|-align="center"
 
|<io>
 
|<io>
 
| -
 
| -
Line 439: Line 453:
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<к>
 
|<к>
|<kit> → <китт>
+
|<kit> → <кит>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|<l>
 
|<l>
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<l>
 
|<l>
|<like> → <лик>
+
|<like> → <лиик>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|rowspan=2|<m>
+
|<le>
|S_V
+
| -
|<мм>
+
|<ел>
|<sham> → <шамм>
+
|<able> → <аабел>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 +
|<m>
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<м>
 
|<м>
|<shame> → <шам>
+
|<mast> → <маст>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|rowspan=2|<n>
 
|rowspan=2|<n>
|S_V
+
|S_
 
|<нн>
 
|<нн>
 
|<win> → <ўинн>
 
|<win> → <ўинн>
Line 472: Line 487:
 
|/oe/
 
|/oe/
 
|<å>
 
|<å>
|<note> → <нот>
+
|<note> → <нåт>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|/uh/
 
|/uh/
Line 519: Line 534:
 
|<у>
 
|<у>
 
|<owl> → <ул>
 
|<owl> → <ул>
 +
|-align=center
 +
|<owe>
 +
| -
 +
|<у>
 +
|<tower> → <тур>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|<oy>
 
|<oy>
Line 526: Line 546:
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|rowspan=2|<&#x70;>
 
|rowspan=2|<&#x70;>
|S_V
+
|S_
 
|<пп>
 
|<пп>
 
|<tip> → <типп>
 
|<tip> → <типп>
Line 532: Line 552:
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<п>
 
|<п>
|<type> → <тип>
+
|<type> → <тѵп>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|rowspan=2|<ph>
 
|rowspan=2|<ph>
|S_V
+
|S_
 
|<фф>
 
|<фф>
 
|<graph> → <графф>
 
|<graph> → <графф>
Line 554: Line 574:
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|rowspan=2|<r>
 
|rowspan=2|<r>
|S_V
+
|S_
 
|<рр>
 
|<рр>
 
|<car> → <карр>
 
|<car> → <карр>
Line 561: Line 581:
 
|<р>
 
|<р>
 
|<care> → <кар>
 
|<care> → <кар>
 +
|-align=center
 +
|<re>
 +
| -
 +
|<ер>
 +
|<centre> → <сентер>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|<rh>
 
|<rh>
Line 567: Line 592:
 
|<rhyme> → <рим>
 
|<rhyme> → <рим>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|rowspan=3|<&#x73;>
+
|rowspan=4|<&#x73;>
 
|/z/
 
|/z/
 
|<з>
 
|<з>
 
|<please> → <плӕз>
 
|<please> → <плӕз>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|S_V
+
|/zh/
 +
|<з>
 +
|<measure> → <мӕзѵр>
 +
|-align=center
 +
|S_
 
|<сс>
 
|<сс>
 
|<bus> → <бусс>
 
|<bus> → <бусс>
Line 590: Line 619:
 
|<ration> → <расюн>
 
|<ration> → <расюн>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|S_V
+
|S_
 
|<тт>
 
|<тт>
 
|<sit> → <ситт>
 
|<sit> → <ситт>
Line 618: Line 647:
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
| -
 
| -
|<ю>
+
|<ѵ>
|<mute> → <мют>
+
|<mute> → <мѵт>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|<ui>
 
|<ui>
Line 627: Line 656:
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
|rowspan=2|<v>
 
|rowspan=2|<v>
|S_V
+
|S_
 
|<вв>
 
|<вв>
 
|<have> → <һавв>
 
|<have> → <һавв>
Line 648: Line 677:
 
|/gz/
 
|/gz/
 
|<гз>
 
|<гз>
|<exact> → <эгзакт>
+
|<exact> → <егзакт>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
| -
 
| -
Line 654: Line 683:
 
|<tax> → <такс>
 
|<tax> → <такс>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|rowspan=2|<y>
+
|rowspan=3|<y>
|/ee/, /ih/
+
|/y/
 +
|<й>
 +
|<yes> → <йесс>
 +
|-align=center
 +
|_#
 
|<и>
 
|<и>
|<myth> → <миѳ>
+
|<cry> → <кри>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 
| -
 
| -
|<й>
+
|<ѵ>
|<yolk> → <йолк>
+
|<myth> → <мѵѳ>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|<ya>
+
|<ye>
 
| -
 
| -
|<я>
 
|<yard> → <ярд>
 
|-align=center
 
|rowspan=2|<ye>
 
|/ie/
 
 
|<и>
 
|<и>
 
|<dye> → <ди>
 
|<dye> → <ди>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
 +
|<yo>
 
| -
 
| -
|<е>
+
|<ю>
|<yell> → <елл>
+
|<canyon> → <канюн>
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|<yea>
+
|rowspan=2|<z>
| -
+
|S_
|<ԙ>
+
|<зз>
|<year> → <ԙр>
+
|<biz> → <бизз>
|-align=center
+
|<yu>
+
| -
+
|<ю>
+
|<yuck> → <юкк>
+
 
|-align=center
 
|-align=center
|<z>
 
 
| -
 
| -
 
|<з>
 
|<з>
Line 694: Line 717:
  
 
==Contractions==
 
==Contractions==
Contractions in the Novic system are not written as part of the preceding word using an apostrophe. Instead they are written as a single letter separated by a space from the preceding word (e.g. <it's> → <ит з>, not *<ит'з>). The important exception is <n't>, which is considered as an inflection and written as part of the preceding word without an apostrophe (e.g. <isn't> → <изнт>, not *<изн'т> or *<из нт>). The contraction <'s> is always written as <з>, even if it is pronounced as /s/.
+
Contractions in the Novic system are not written as part of the preceding word using an apostrophe. Instead they are written as a single letter separated by a space from the preceding word (e.g. <it's> → <ит з>, not *<ит'з>). All contractions found in the Latin system may be used in the Cyrillic system, except for <n't>. This is considered an inflection and is written as part of the preceding word without an apostrophe (e.g. <isn't> → <изнт>, not *<изн'т> or *<из нт>).
  
==Grammatical function words==
+
The Novic system also uses single letter contractions for several words for which the Latin system has no contractions. These words are <the>, <and>, <or>, <to> and <of>. These can be written simply as <ѳ> (e.g. <the end> → <ѳ енд>), <н> (e.g. <up and down> → <упп н дун>), <р> (e.g. <left or right> → <лефт р рихт>), <т> (e.g. <to be> → <т бе>) and <в> (e.g. <loaf of bread> → <лåф в брӕд>) respectively. Just as with other contractions, it is inappropriate to use these when the words are pronounced in full for emphasis or appear on their own.
 +
 
 +
The rules applying to contractions also apply to the possessive clitic <'s>. The apostrophe is not used, and it is always written as <з> and as a separate word (e.g. <man's> → <манн з>).
 +
 
 +
Unlike when writing in Latin, it is not considered inappropriate by Novic conventions to use contractions in formal writing. As demonstrated by the [[Document:Novic Orthography#Sample|sample text]] their use is very common, and not using them when there is no need for emphasis may come across as odd and stilted.
 +
 
 +
==Suffixes==
 +
The grammatical suffixes for the plural, third person singular and the past tense differ in their spelling in the Novic system. The plural and third person suffixes are written as <з> (e.g. <cows> → <куз>), or <ез> when it follows <с>, <з>, <ш>, <ч> and <ж> (e.g. <passes> → <пассез>). The past tense suffix meanwhile is only written as <ед> following <т> or <д> (e.g. <mended> → <мендед>). Otherwise it is written simply as <д> (e.g. <killed> → <киллд>). As with the Latin system, the allophonic devoicing of these suffixes is not represented in writing. The plural and third person singular are always written with <з>, even if pronounced /s/ (e.g. <cats> → <каттз>), and the past always written with <д>, even if pronounced /t/ (e.g. <missed> → <миссд>).
  
 
==Punctuation==
 
==Punctuation==
 
The differences between Novic and typical English punctuation are very minor. The period, comma, question mark and exclamation point are all used as they normally are. Novic writing supplements this set of marks with the interrobang (<‽>). Unlike in normal English writing, the interrobang is standard in Novic and is used instead of <?!> or <!?> (e.g. <What?!> → <Һўат‽>), both of which are unacceptable in Novic. The other important difference is that in place of quotation marks, single or double, guillemets (<«> and <»>)are used instead (e.g. <"Hello"> → <«Һеллå»>). Guillemets should face away from the quoted text, never in towards it.
 
The differences between Novic and typical English punctuation are very minor. The period, comma, question mark and exclamation point are all used as they normally are. Novic writing supplements this set of marks with the interrobang (<‽>). Unlike in normal English writing, the interrobang is standard in Novic and is used instead of <?!> or <!?> (e.g. <What?!> → <Һўат‽>), both of which are unacceptable in Novic. The other important difference is that in place of quotation marks, single or double, guillemets (<«> and <»>)are used instead (e.g. <"Hello"> → <«Һеллå»>). Guillemets should face away from the quoted text, never in towards it.
 +
 +
==Capitalization==
 +
The standards for capitalization are nearly identical to those used in the Latin orthography. The one important exception is that the personal pronoun "I" is not capitalized when it does not begin a sentence (e.g. <"I think I can"> → <И ѳинк и канн>, not *<И ѳинк И канн>).
 +
 +
==Compound words==
 +
In conventional English orthography, terms derived from multiple words are often written as separate words, even if they in fact function as a single one (e.g. <high school>). In Novic orthography such terms are typically written using single, compound words (e.g. <high school> → <һихсхол>). While the two word phrase <һих схол> might also be used in Novic writing, it would refer to a school which is actually high in some sense, rather than an institute for secondary education.
 +
 +
==Sample==
 +
{|class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
!Cyrillic
 +
!Latin
 +
|-
 +
|Ѳ Норѳ Ўинд н ѳ Сунн ўер диспѵтиҥ һўич ўаз ѳ стронгер, һўен а траввелер кам алоҥ ўраппд ин а ўарм клåк. Ѳей агред ѳат ѳ åн һўо фирст сукседед ин макиҥ ѳ траввелер так һиз клåк офф шулд бе консиддерд стронгер ѳан ѳ оѳер. Ѳен ѳ Норѳ Ўинд блеў аз һард аз һе кулд, бут ѳ мåр һе блеў ѳ мåр клåсли дидд ѳ траввелер фолд һиз клåк арунд һим; н атт ласт ѳ Норѳ Ўинд гав упп ѳ аттемпт. Ѳен ѳ Сунн шинд ут ўармли, н иммедйатли ѳ траввелер ток офф һиз клåк. Н сå ѳ Норѳ Ўинд ўаз оближд т конфесс ѳат ѳ Сунн ўаз ѳ стронгер офф ѳ тўо.
 +
|The North Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger, when a traveler came along wrapped in a warm cloak. They agreed that the one who first succeeded in making the traveler take his cloak off should be considered stronger than the other. Then the North Wind blew as hard as he could, but the more he blew the more closely did the traveler fold his cloak around him; and at last the North Wind gave up the attempt. Then the Sun shined out warmly, and immediately the traveler took off his cloak. And so the North Wind was obliged to confess that the Sun was the stronger of the two.
 +
|}

Latest revision as of 21:08, 25 August 2011

While Novmir uses the English language, it writes it using a system based on the Cyrillic rather than the Latin alphabet. Such writing can be seen in places such as official government documents and the royal coat of arms. Like the Latin English alphabet, this spelling system is based on the pronunciation of the earlier rather than modern English language. As such the values of some letters differ significantly from their usual values in the Cyrillic alphabet. However, this also means that more words can be converted from Latin to Cyrillic one-to-one. Novmir also uses different punctuation in some cases as well. This document is intended to give the reader a basic familiarity with the Novic writing system.

Letters

The Novic alphabet contains thirty-four individual letters. Like the Latin alphabet, some letters may have different pronunciations in different contexts. What these contexts are and how they affect pronunciation are discussed in greater detail in the following sections.

The Novic alphabet is given in its entirety in the following chart. The names of letters are given using phonetic spelling according to general English spelling conventions. The Latin column gives the letter's Latin equivalents. If a Latin equivalent contains more than one letter, the Cyrillic letter only replaces them when they are pronounced as a single sound. Instances of equivalence which depend on context are covered in greater detail under the section on converting from Latin to Cyrillic. This chart is not intended to be comprehensive, and exceptions exist.

Majuscule Minuscule Name Latin
А а /ay/ <a>
Ӕ ӕ /hee/ <ea>
Å å /oe/ <o>, <oa>
Б б /bee/ <b>
В в /vee/ <v>
Г г /gee/ <g>, <gh>, <gu>
Д д /dee/ <d>
Е е /ee/ <e>, <ei>, <ie>
Ж ж /jee/ <g>, <j>
З з /zee/ <s>, <z>
И и /ie/ <i>, <y>
Й й /yie/ <y>
К к /kay/ <c>, <k>, , <qu>
Л л /el/ <l>
М м /em/ <m>
Н н /en/ <n>
Ҥ ҥ /eng/ <ng>
О о /oo/ <o>
П п /pee/ <p>
Р р /ar/ <r>, <rh>
С с /es/ <c>, <s>, <t>
Т т /tee/ <t>
У у /ow/ <o>, <ou>, <ow>, <u>
Ў ў /wow/ <u>, <w>
Ф ф /ef/ <f>, <ph>
Х х /kie/ <ch>, <gh>
Һ һ /hay/ <h>
Ч ч /chee/ <ch>
Ш ш /shay/ <ch>, <sh>
/yay/ <ia>
Ѥ ѥ /yee/ <ie>
Ю ю /yoe/ <io>, <yo>
Ѳ ѳ /eth/ <th>
Ѵ ѵ /yoo/ <u>

Digraphs

In some cases a pair of letters represent a single sound. All of these digraphs have an equivalent in the Latin system of spelling. However, not all Latin digraphs have a Cyrillic equivalent and are written using a single letter instead. These letters and what digraphs they replace are discussed in the previous section. Which Cyrillic digraph is appropriate is in some cases dependent on context. This complication is addressed in the section on converting from Latin to Cyrillic. This chart is not necessarily exhaustive, and exceptions may exist.

Digraph Latin
<ай> <ai>, <ay>
<аў> <au>, <aw>
<ей> <ei>, <ey>
<еў> <eu>, <ew>
<их> <igh>
<ой> <oi>, <oy>
<оў> <ou>, <ow>
<уй> <ui>
<ўр> <wr>
<һў> <wh>

Long and Short Vowels

Just as in the Latin system of writing, most vowels have both a long and short pronunciation. The Cyrillic system uses doubled letters to indicate a long vowel. Silent E's are not used, and should always be dropped when converting to Cyrillic (e.g. <bane> → <баан>). The long and short values of some vowels are different from what they are in the Latin system. These differences are addressed in the following section.

Converting from Latin to Cyrillic

The following chart is intended to provide a convenient reference for turning English written in the Latin alphabet into Cyrillic. In the context column gives the conditions under which a certain Latin to Cyrillic conversion is appropriate. Letters in slashes represent a certain pronunciation of the Latin letters. An underscore represent the letters in some context. A capital C in these cases represents a consonant, a pound sign represents a word boundary and S a short vowel. The null sign <Ø> indicates that a letter is not pronounced or should be replaced by nothing in Cyrillic. Any empty entry indicates all or all other contexts. These rules in most cases only hold when the Latin letters are pronounced as a single sound. This chart does not necessarily capture all subtleties of the differences between the Latin and Cyrillic systems, and exceptions exist. Relatively recent foreign loanwords, words whose spelling does not reflect historical pronunciations but arbitrary conventions and the frequently abbreviated function words pose problems in particular.

Latin Context Cyrillic Example
<a> /ay/ <аа> <ate> → <аат>
- <а> <all> → <ал>
<ai> - <ай> <aim> → <айм>
<au> - <аў> <haul> → <һаўл>
<aw> - <аў> <awl> → <аўл>
<ay> - <ай> <say> → <сай>
<b> - <б> <bow> → <боў>
<c> /s/ <с> <ace> → <аас>
/sh/ <с> <ancient> → <ансѥнт>
- <к> <can> → <кан>
<ch> /k/ <х> <chaos> → <хаос>
/sh/ <ш> <chute> → <шѵт>
- <ч> <chin> → <чин>
<ck> _V <кк> <sicken> → <сиккен>
- <к> <back> → <бак>
<d> - <д> <mad> → <мад>
<dg> _V <жж> <badger> → <бажжер>
- <ж> <edge> → <еж>
<e> /Ø/ <Ø> <ale> → <аал>
/ee/ <ее> <scene> → <сеен>
- <е> <end> → <енд>
<ea> - <ӕ> <sea> → <сӕ>
<ei> /ee/ <ее> <ceiling> → <сеелиҥ>
- <ей> <eight> → <ейхт>
<eu> - <еў> <neuter> → <неўтер>
<ew> - <еў> <new> → <неў>
<ey> /ee/ <ее> <journey> → <журнее>
- <ей> <they> → <ѳей>
<f> - <ф> <fly> → <фли>
<g> /j/ <ж> <age> → <ааж>
/zh/ <ж> <garage> → <гараж>
- <г> <gate> → <гаат>
<gh> /g/ <г> <ghost> → <гåст>
- <х> <night> → <нихт>
<gi> - <ж> <region> → <режон>
<gu> - <г> <guild> → <гилд>
<h> /Ø/ <Ø> <hour> → <уур>
- <һ> <hill> → <һил>
<i> /ie/ <ии> <line> → <лиин>
- <и> <bin> → <бин>
<ia> - <ꙗ> <menial> → <менꙗл>
<ie> /ee/ <ее> <piece> → <пеес>
/eh/ <е> <friend> → <френд>
/ie/ <ии> <pie> → <пии>
- <ѥ> <patient> → <пасѥнт>
<io> - <ю> <nation> → <насюн>
<j> - <ж> <join> → <жойн>
<k> - <к> <kit> → <кит>
<l> - <l> <like> → <лиик>
<le> - <ел> <able> → <аабел>
<m> - <м> <mast> → <маст>
<n> S_ <нн> <win> → <ўинн>
- <н> <wine> → <ўин>
<ng> - <ҥ> <sing> → <сиҥ>
<o> /oe/ <å> <note> → <нåт>
/uh/ <у> <son> → <сунн>
- <о> <not> → <нотт>
<oa> - <å> <boat> → <бåт>
<oe> - <å> <toe> → <тå>
<oi> - <ой> <boil> → <бойл>
<oo> - <о> <soon> → <сон>
<ou> /oe/ <оў> <soul> → <соўл>
- <у> <out> → <ут>
<ow> /oe/ <оў> <low> → <лоў>
- <у> <owl> → <ул>
<owe> - <у> <tower> → <тур>
<oy> - <ой> <boy> → <бой>
<p> S_ <пп> <tip> → <типп>
- <п> <type> → <тѵп>
<ph> S_ <фф> <graph> → <графф>
- <ф> <phase> → <фаз>
- <к> <quick> → <кўикк>
<qu> - <кк> <plaque> → <плакк>
<r> S_ <рр> <car> → <карр>
- <р> <care> → <кар>
<re> - <ер> <centre> → <сентер>
<rh> - <р> <rhyme> → <рим>
<s> /z/ <з> <please> → <плӕз>
/zh/ <з> <measure> → <мӕзѵр>
S_ <сс> <bus> → <бусс>
- <с> <chase> → <час>
<sh> - <ш> <shake> → <шак>
<t> /sh/ <с> <ration> → <расюн>
S_ <тт> <sit> → <ситт>
- <т> <site> → <сит>
<tch> - <чч> <itch> → <ичч>
<th> - <ѳ> <thin> → <ѳинн>
<u> /uh/ <у> <luck> → <лукк>
/w/ <ў> <quit> → <кўитт>
- <ѵ> <mute> → <мѵт>
<ui> - <уй> <fruit> → <фруйт>
<v> S_ <вв> <have> → <һавв>
- <в> <pave> → <пав>
<w> - <ў> <will> → <ўилл>
<wh> - <һў> <whale> → <һўал>
<x> /gz/ <гз> <exact> → <егзакт>
- <кс> <tax> → <такс>
<y> /y/ <й> <yes> → <йесс>
_# <и> <cry> → <кри>
- <ѵ> <myth> → <мѵѳ>
<ye> - <и> <dye> → <ди>
<yo> - <ю> <canyon> → <канюн>
<z> S_ <зз> <biz> → <бизз>
- <з> <zone> → <зåн>

Contractions

Contractions in the Novic system are not written as part of the preceding word using an apostrophe. Instead they are written as a single letter separated by a space from the preceding word (e.g. <it's> → <ит з>, not *<ит'з>). All contractions found in the Latin system may be used in the Cyrillic system, except for <n't>. This is considered an inflection and is written as part of the preceding word without an apostrophe (e.g. <isn't> → <изнт>, not *<изн'т> or *<из нт>).

The Novic system also uses single letter contractions for several words for which the Latin system has no contractions. These words are <the>, <and>, <or>, <to> and <of>. These can be written simply as <ѳ> (e.g. <the end> → <ѳ енд>), <н> (e.g. <up and down> → <упп н дун>), <р> (e.g. <left or right> → <лефт р рихт>), <т> (e.g. <to be> → <т бе>) and <в> (e.g. <loaf of bread> → <лåф в брӕд>) respectively. Just as with other contractions, it is inappropriate to use these when the words are pronounced in full for emphasis or appear on their own.

The rules applying to contractions also apply to the possessive clitic <'s>. The apostrophe is not used, and it is always written as <з> and as a separate word (e.g. <man's> → <манн з>).

Unlike when writing in Latin, it is not considered inappropriate by Novic conventions to use contractions in formal writing. As demonstrated by the sample text their use is very common, and not using them when there is no need for emphasis may come across as odd and stilted.

Suffixes

The grammatical suffixes for the plural, third person singular and the past tense differ in their spelling in the Novic system. The plural and third person suffixes are written as <з> (e.g. <cows> → <куз>), or <ез> when it follows <с>, <з>, <ш>, <ч> and <ж> (e.g. <passes> → <пассез>). The past tense suffix meanwhile is only written as <ед> following <т> or <д> (e.g. <mended> → <мендед>). Otherwise it is written simply as <д> (e.g. <killed> → <киллд>). As with the Latin system, the allophonic devoicing of these suffixes is not represented in writing. The plural and third person singular are always written with <з>, even if pronounced /s/ (e.g. <cats> → <каттз>), and the past always written with <д>, even if pronounced /t/ (e.g. <missed> → <миссд>).

Punctuation

The differences between Novic and typical English punctuation are very minor. The period, comma, question mark and exclamation point are all used as they normally are. Novic writing supplements this set of marks with the interrobang (<‽>). Unlike in normal English writing, the interrobang is standard in Novic and is used instead of <?!> or <!?> (e.g. <What?!> → <Һўат‽>), both of which are unacceptable in Novic. The other important difference is that in place of quotation marks, single or double, guillemets (<«> and <»>)are used instead (e.g. <"Hello"> → <«Һеллå»>). Guillemets should face away from the quoted text, never in towards it.

Capitalization

The standards for capitalization are nearly identical to those used in the Latin orthography. The one important exception is that the personal pronoun "I" is not capitalized when it does not begin a sentence (e.g. <"I think I can"> → <И ѳинк и канн>, not *<И ѳинк И канн>).

Compound words

In conventional English orthography, terms derived from multiple words are often written as separate words, even if they in fact function as a single one (e.g. <high school>). In Novic orthography such terms are typically written using single, compound words (e.g. <high school> → <һихсхол>). While the two word phrase <һих схол> might also be used in Novic writing, it would refer to a school which is actually high in some sense, rather than an institute for secondary education.

Sample

Cyrillic Latin
Ѳ Норѳ Ўинд н ѳ Сунн ўер диспѵтиҥ һўич ўаз ѳ стронгер, һўен а траввелер кам алоҥ ўраппд ин а ўарм клåк. Ѳей агред ѳат ѳ åн һўо фирст сукседед ин макиҥ ѳ траввелер так һиз клåк офф шулд бе консиддерд стронгер ѳан ѳ оѳер. Ѳен ѳ Норѳ Ўинд блеў аз һард аз һе кулд, бут ѳ мåр һе блеў ѳ мåр клåсли дидд ѳ траввелер фолд һиз клåк арунд һим; н атт ласт ѳ Норѳ Ўинд гав упп ѳ аттемпт. Ѳен ѳ Сунн шинд ут ўармли, н иммедйатли ѳ траввелер ток офф һиз клåк. Н сå ѳ Норѳ Ўинд ўаз оближд т конфесс ѳат ѳ Сунн ўаз ѳ стронгер офф ѳ тўо. The North Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger, when a traveler came along wrapped in a warm cloak. They agreed that the one who first succeeded in making the traveler take his cloak off should be considered stronger than the other. Then the North Wind blew as hard as he could, but the more he blew the more closely did the traveler fold his cloak around him; and at last the North Wind gave up the attempt. Then the Sun shined out warmly, and immediately the traveler took off his cloak. And so the North Wind was obliged to confess that the Sun was the stronger of the two.