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Pronunciation and Spelling
The
Alphabet
Explanations of sounds:
Comparison charts ("pop ups"):
- Português,
Español, Catalá, Français, Italiano.
- Deutsch,
Nederlands, Svenska, Dansk, Norsk.
- Polski, Cesky,
Suomea, Magyar, Nihongo.
- IPA, Ellinika,
Russkiy
A special note:
research paper Please understand that, while being precise in regards to
pronunciation is important in order to provide a teaching standard,
Lingua Franca Nova is very forgiving: People may vary their
pronunciations quite a bit and still be easily understood.
Correcting others' pronunciation is considered quite impolite!
The
Alphabet
There are 21 letters:
a b c d e f g i j l m n o p r
s t u v x z
" a, be,
ce, de, e, ef, ge, i, je, el, em, en, o, pe, er, es, te, u, ve, ex, ze."
(h, k, q, w, and y are only used in proper names so spelled in
original language. They fall alphabetically as in English, and
are named hax/ax, ka/ca,
qua/cua, wa/ua,
and ya/ia)
K may be used in place of c, if the writer feels more
comfortable doing so. If you choose to use k, please do so
consistently within a text!
The IPA values are as follows:
One may easily use Cyrillic equivalents as follows:
One may cautiously use the following Greek
equivalents. Note that these deviate from standard Greek
pronunciations: beta, delta, and gamma are as in ancient Greek,
not modern; eta is used for j; omega for v; and chi for x.
Consonants
B [b] as in Bob.
C [c] as in cat. Never as in lace.
D [d] as in dog.
F [f] as in fool.
G [g] as in good. Never like a j as in gee or
jump.
J [j] as the s in pleasure. It should be pronounced
like j in Brazilian Portuguese or French, but it may be pronounced like
j in English if that is easier for the speaker.
L [l] as in lee.
M [m] as in mom.
N [n] as in no. Before g or k, it is pronounced as
in finger or think.
P [p] as in pot.
R [r] as in road, but with a slight trill, as it is in
Spanish or Italian.
S [s] as in see. Never like a z as in please or
zero.
T [t] as in tea.
V [v] as in vow. Avoid pronouncing v as b.
X [x] as the sh in ship. It should be pronounced like x
in Catalan or the ch in Portuguese or French, but it may be pronounced
like ch in English if that is easier for the speaker.
Z [z] as in zoo. Avoid pronouncing z as in
Castillian Spanish or as in German or Italian
Vowels
The vowels should be pronounced "purely," as in Spanish,
Brazilian Portuguese or Italian.
A [a] as in father. Not as in fate or cat.
E [e] like the a in mate. Pronounce it crisply, not
lengthened as in may. Not as in see or set.
I [i] as in machine. Not as in ice or it.
Between vowels, initially before a vowel, or in the combinations ni and
li before a vowel, it is pronounced like y as in yes.
O [o] as in note. Pronounce it crisply, not
lengthened as in no. Not as in not or bore.
U [u] as in rude. Never as in up or use.
Between vowels, initially before a vowel, or in the combinations cu and
gu before a vowel, it is pronounced like w in wet.
Diphthongs
Diphthongs are double vowels that are pronounced as if
blended. In LFN there are four, but they are not common.
They may be pronounced as two separate vowels if that is easier for the
speaker.
AI [ai] as in mai-tai or the i in kite. It is the a of
father followed by i pronounced like a y.
AU [au] as in Maui or the ou in house. It is the a of
father followed by u pronounced like a w.
OI [oi] as in poi or the oy of boy. It is the o of note
followed by i pronounced like a y.
EU [eu] as the ay-w of bay-watch. It is the a of mate
followed by u pronounced like a w.
Stress
The stress in multi-syllable words falls on the vowel
preceding the last consonant or consonant cluster.
mArto,
perfEta, aprIl, mUs, perfetAr
In words that have no vowel before the last consonant, the
stress falls on the first vowel.
mAio,
mA, tIa, rEa
There is one exception to the rule: the plural -s or -es does
not change the original stress of the word.
rEde,
rEdes, mUs, mUses, tIo, tIos
A secondary stress in words of four or more syllables falls
two vowels back from the primary stress.
Note that, since stress is totally predictable, it is of
little importance. Variations will not hinder understanding.
Phonemic
Structure
Vowel clusters allowed:
ae
ao ia ie io iu ea eo oa
oe ua ue ui uo
[These are pronounced as two vowels. These are in
addition to the diphthongs mentioned above, and to sequences of three
vowels involving a medial i or u, pronounced as y or w.]
Syllable/word final consonants allowed:
-f -s -x -m
-n -l -r
Word/syllable initial clusters allowed:
pl- pr- bl-
br- tr- dr- cl- cr- gl- gr-
fl- fr- sl- sp- st- sc- str-
scr-
[Sc-, scr-, str-, and sl- rare: sci, scola, scopa;
scrive, scrivor; strada, strana, stranjer, streta, strumento, strutur;
slava (Slav), slavo (slave). Sf-, ps-, and other unusual
combinations are permitted for technical words derived from the
Greek: sfero, psiciatria.]
Elision
In casual conversation, poetry, or song there is some latitude for
elision (dropping vowels).
La
and de may
be reduced to l'
and d'
before words beginning with a vowel;
In poetry or song, words ending in a vowel may drop that vowel
in two situations:
- If the following word begins with a vowel, or
- If dropping the vowel leaves the word ending in a
legitimate syllable, according to the rules outlined above (i.e. after
an f, s, x, m, n, l, or r, which is in turn preceded by a vowel).
Note that in any case, elision should be used with restraint:
Words often change meaning when the final vowel is absent!
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