User:Chrysophylax/Skājamāl/Writeup

Phonology

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Skájamál can be written using two different types of scripts: the native script and the Latin alphabet. The native script (askájaská rúnáh) is superficially strikingly similar to the early runic alphabets (futhark) common of other Germanic languages but either through contact-induced change, phonemic adaptations or wholesale innovation its values and conventions differ markedly from these.

Latin script

The Latin script has two competing orthographies with the basic distinction originating in the difficulty of representing certain graphemes on early modern computer devices. The most recently standardised orthographic variety is used in this article.

The following letters are used: a á b d e é f g h i í j k l m n o p r s t u ú v w.

The values of these letters usually correspond to their counterparts in the International Phonetic Alphabet with the following major differences:

• ⟨v⟩ represents a voiced labiodental approximant [ʋ].
• ⟨a⟩ represents a low, back unrounded vowel [ɑ]
• ⟨e⟩ represents either a low-mid, front unrounded vowel [ɛ] or a mid, front unrounded vowel [e] with alternation being phonologically unpredictable.
• ⟨i⟩ represents a near-high, near-front unrounded vowel [ɪ].
• ⟨h⟩ represents a voiceless, glottal fricative [h] or a voiceless, velar fricative [x] after a back vowel.

Long vowels are marked by an acute accent: ⟨á é í ú⟩. Because there is no short counterpart, the letter ⟨o⟩ is always read long and carries no accent. The long vowel⟨í⟩ differs in quality from its short counterpart and is pronounced noticeably higher [iː].

The combination ⟨lh⟩ represents a voiced, nasalised labiovelar approximant [w̃]. The combination ⟨wr⟩ represents a long velarised apical trill [rʷː].