Lytspel in Brief

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Vowels

The schwa is usually written as «e» («camel, comen» ‹…common›) or «u» («álbum, nurvuss» ‹…nervous›), but as «a» at the end of words («extra»). A schwa immediately before the stressed syllable can be represented by any of the five main vowel letters, e.g. «a» in «about», «o» in «compuet» ‹compute›.

The other vowels are written as expected («cat, pen, big, dog, club»). These five vowels as well as «oo» and the schwa are considered short, all others are long.

¹ Second spelling used at the end of words and before other vowels.

² Second spelling used for unstressed vowels at the end of words and before other vowels.

³ Second spelling used before other vowels and at the end of words after a vowel.

Consonants

/k/ is written

/s/ is written

/z/ is written

/T/ and /D/:

The other consonants are written as expected («bed, much, fat, hot, leg, now, pop, run, ship, ever, yet»).

R-colored Vowels

Other vowels keep their usual spelling («mirer, poor, puer, our» ‹mirror, poor, pure, our or hour›).

Sound Combinations

Stress

Stress is marked using an acute accent in cases where it deviates from the stress pattern predicted by the following rules:

If a prefix has just one syllable and is stressed, it takes the accent, e.g. «nónsenss» ‹nonsense›.

The use of accents is optional, but recommended.

Sample

Four scor and seven yeers ago our faathers braut forth upon thiss continent, a nue naition, conseevd in Liberti, and dedicaited tu the proposition that all men ar criáited eequel. Now wi ar engaijd in a grait sivil wor, testing whether that naition, or eni naition so conseevd and so dedicaited, can long enduer.