84

The Loom of Language

In our table of English vowels in phonetic script, some of the indi-
vidual symbols which stand for simple vowel sounds in other European
languages occur only in compounds (diphthongs) Other symbols such
as those which stand for the French nasal vowels do not occur at all.
The majority of the consonant sounds of European languages are
approximately alike. For that reason many of the consonant signs of
different scripts exhibited on p 60 correspond with one another,
and with the equivalent symbols of the international script devised for

ENGLISH VOWELS IN PHONETIC SCRIPT

SIMPLE

a
=
a
as m hat

a
sar
aa
„ „ bazaar

e
-!=
e
33 3 bed

i
=
i
33 3
bid

i
aas
ee
33
meet

0
=
0
33
hot

D
sss
au
„
aught

U
B=.
00
33
foot

U
r=
ou
33
boot

A
SSS
u
33
cut

3
»5
cr
33
worker

3.
=
01
33
, worker

DIPHTHONGS

ai —
ei
as in
Ems>t

au —
ow
33 33
how

Cl =r
ai
3 >y
bait

C3 —
air
,
33
pair

13 =
icr
3
33
pier

01 —
01
,
33
boil

OU =•
oa
y
33
moat

ju •=.
ew
33 33
hew

all nations. So the symbols for the consonants are less difficult to
handle, and a few hours' practice will suffice for proficiency in using
them. With the help of the tables you can translate the following
sentence, and thereafter write out others •

frm 63 teiblz av vauslz n konssnsnts ju Jd bi eibl to fo;m a
kliars d 3 Ad ^ mint abautffo t/i f n.znz fo 0Ara me 332 if wi wont a hapi
S3l(j)u Jn av au9 preznt spelii) difikluz

jt
uuoj oj

iuos3jcd jno jo uoqn|os
qSnoioxfi ioj SUOSBSI j3Tqo sxp inoqB
9q pinoqs no^S sjHBtiosuoa pas spMOA jo

atp

Because the same symbols may have different values in different
languages — Z stands for 6 in Spanish, and for & m German— the larger
dictionaries use phonetic alphabets in which a symbol represents one
sound and one only. For each word hated the phonetic spelling is printed