Ro - Revision history

Nicomega: /* Phonology and orthography */

2021-02-06T00:13:52Z

Phonology and orthography

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	==Phonology and orthography==		==Phonology and orthography==
	Ro is written with the [[Latin alphabet]]. The letters [[C]], [[J]], [[Q]] and [[X]] are pronounced as: /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /ŋ/ and /χ/ respectively. The vowels ~~([[~~A]], [[E]], [[I]], [[O]] and [[U~~]])~~ are pronounced as in the [[Spanish language]].<ref name=dicti>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756\|title=Dictionary of Ro, the World Language\|via=[[Google Books]]\|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster\|publisher=ROIA\|location=[[Waverly, West Virginia]]\|year=1928}}</ref>		Ro is written with the Latin alphabet. The letters {{angbr\|C, J, Q and X}} are pronounced as: {{IPA\|/ʃ, ʒ, ŋ and χ/}} respectively. The vowels {{angbr\|A, E, I, O and U}} are pronounced as in the Spanish language.<ref name=dicti>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756\|title=Dictionary of Ro, the World Language\|via=[[Google Books]]\|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster\|publisher=ROIA\|location=[[Waverly, West Virginia]]\|year=1928}}</ref>

	==Sample text==		==Sample text==

Nicomega at 00:11, 6 February 2021

2021-02-06T00:11:01Z

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	\|glotto=none		\|glotto=none
	}}		}}
	'''Ro''' is an [[~~A priori (languages)\|~~a priori]] [[constructed language]] created by Rev. Edward Powell Foster beginning in 1904.		'''Ro''' is an [[a priori]] [[constructed language]] created by Rev. Edward Powell Foster beginning in 1904.

	==Creator==		==Creator==

Nicomega: /* Introduction */

2021-02-06T00:10:39Z

Introduction

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	{{Quote\|Ro did not begin with attempting to rival or supplant any other language whatever, either natural or artificial, nor was it suggested by any of them.		{{Quote\|Ro did not begin with attempting to rival or supplant any other language whatever, either natural or artificial, nor was it suggested by any of them.
	Unexpectedly came the thought: "How strange it is that there is nothing in the appearance of a written or printed word that gives the slightest hint of its meaning. Why should a word not be a picture? A new word, never seen before would then, like a painting seen for the first time, convey at least some of the meaning to the eye."<ref name="Dict">{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756\|via=[[Google Books]]\|title=Dictionary of Ro: The World Language\|page=3\|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster\|publisher=ROIA\|location=[[Waverly, West Virginia]]\|year=1928}}</ref>}}		Unexpectedly came the thought: "How strange it is that there is nothing in the appearance of a written or printed word that gives the slightest hint of its meaning. Why should a word not be a picture? A new word, never seen before would then, like a painting seen for the first time, convey at least some of the meaning to the eye."<ref name="Dict">{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756\|via=Google Books\|title=Dictionary of Ro: The World Language\|page=3\|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster\|publisher=ROIA\|location=Waverly, West Virginia\|year=1928}}</ref>}}

	After working on the language for about two years, Foster published the first booklet about Ro in 1906. The publication of Ro periodicals was supported by several American sponsors, especially from the [[Marietta, Ohio]] area, including [[Melvil Dewey]]<!-- Foster spells it Melvil -->,<ref name="Dict 6">{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756\|via=[[Google Books]]\|title=Dictionary of Ro: The World Language\|page=6\|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster\|publisher=ROIA\|location=[[Waverly, West Virginia]]\|year=1928}}</ref> inventor of the [[Dewey Decimal Classification]] (another attempt to categorize human knowledge), Vice President [[Charles G. Dawes]],<ref name="Dict 6"/> [[George White (Ohio politician)\|George White]],<ref name="Dict 6"/> who mentioned Ro in the [[Congressional Record]],<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://library.conlang.org/about/Conlang_Exhibit_Master_File_Text_rev.pdf\|title=Esperanto, Elvish, and Beyond: The World of Constructed Languages}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=https://conlang.org/resources/conlangers-calendar/?start=20180301&months=1\|title=A Conlanger's Calendar {{!}} Language Creation Society (Month set to March)}}</ref> and [[Alice Vanderbilt Morris]] of [[International Auxiliary Language Association\|IALA]].<ref name="Dict 6"/> Several more books about Ro by Foster and his wife appeared over the years, as late as 1932.		After working on the language for about two years, Foster published the first booklet about Ro in 1906. The publication of Ro periodicals was supported by several American sponsors, especially from the Marietta, Ohio area, including Melvil Dewey<!-- Foster spells it Melvil -->,<ref name="Dict 6">{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756\|via=Google Books\|title=Dictionary of Ro: The World Language\|page=6\|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster\|publisher=ROIA\|location=Waverly, West Virginia\|year=1928}}</ref> inventor of the [[w:Dewey Decimal Classification\|Dewey Decimal Classification]] (another attempt to categorize human knowledge), Vice President Charles G. Dawes,<ref name="Dict 6"/> [[w:George White (Ohio politician)\|George White]],<ref name="Dict 6"/> who mentioned Ro in the Congressional Record,<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://library.conlang.org/about/Conlang_Exhibit_Master_File_Text_rev.pdf\|title=Esperanto, Elvish, and Beyond: The World of Constructed Languages}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=https://conlang.org/resources/conlangers-calendar/?start=20180301&months=1\|title=A Conlanger's Calendar {{!}} Language Creation Society (Month set to March)}}</ref> and Alice Vanderbilt Morris of [[w:International Auxiliary Language Association\|IALA]].<ref name="Dict 6"/> Several more books about Ro by Foster and his wife appeared over the years, as late as 1932.

	A common criticism of Ro is that it can be difficult to hear the difference between two words; usually one consonant makes the word different in meaning, but still similar enough that the intended meaning often cannot be guessed from context. This characteristic is common among [[philosophical languages]], which are characterized by vocabulary developed taxonomically, independently of natural languages. ''A posteriori'' languages, such as [[Esperanto]] and [[Interlingua]], are more popular than the ''a priori'' type, perhaps partly because their familiar vocabulary makes them easy to learn and recognize. Conversely, a priori languages are seen as being more neutral because there are so many languages and root words used in different languages may be completely different.		A common criticism of Ro is that it can be difficult to hear the difference between two words; usually one consonant makes the word different in meaning, but still similar enough that the intended meaning often cannot be guessed from context. This characteristic is common among [[philosophical language\|philosophical languages]], which are characterized by vocabulary developed taxonomically, independently of natural languages. ''A posteriori'' languages, such as [[Esperanto]] and [[Interlingua]], are more popular than the ''a priori'' type, perhaps partly because their familiar vocabulary makes them easy to learn and recognize. Conversely, a priori languages are seen as being more neutral because there are so many languages and root words used in different languages may be completely different.

	[[Solresol]] was an earlier classificatory language that by using a smaller symbol set achieved easier distinctness. There have been a few more recent attempts to design a language along similar lines, such as Ygyde<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm\|title=Ygyde Language\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201111356/http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm\|archivedate=February 1, 2016\|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Japanese-made [[Babm]], but most subsequent constructed language makers have avoided this taxonomic or hierarchic design for the reasons mentioned above.		[[Solresol]] was an earlier classificatory language that by using a smaller symbol set achieved easier distinctness. There have been a few more recent attempts to design a language along similar lines, such as Ygyde<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm\|title=Ygyde Language\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201111356/http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm\|archivedate=February 1, 2016\|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Japanese-made [[Babm]], but most subsequent constructed language makers have avoided this taxonomic or hierarchic design for the reasons mentioned above.

Nicomega: /* Creator */

2021-02-06T00:08:34Z

Creator

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:08, 6 February 2021
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	==Creator==		==Creator==
	Rev. Edward Powell Foster lived from 1853 through 1937;<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm\|title=Article on Ro\|author=Rick Harrison\|website=Langmaker.com\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423022410/http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm\|url-status=dead\|archivedate=April 23, 2012}}</ref> in [[Marietta, Ohio]]. He was buried along with his wife in Riverview Cemetery in [[Parkersburg, West Virginia]].		Rev. Edward Powell Foster lived from 1853 through 1937;<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm\|title=Article on Ro\|author=Rick Harrison\|website=Langmaker.com\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423022410/http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm\|url-status=dead\|archivedate=April 23, 2012}}</ref> in Marietta, Ohio. He was buried along with his wife in Riverview Cemetery in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

	==Introduction==		==Introduction==

Nicomega at 00:08, 6 February 2021

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	\|speakers=Unknown		\|speakers=Unknown
	\|date=2018		\|date=2018
			\|familycolor= conlang
	\|family=[[constructed language]]		\|family=[[constructed language]]
	* '''Ro'''		* '''Ro'''

Nicomega at 00:07, 6 February 2021

2021-02-06T00:07:47Z

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	~~{{Primary sources\|date=March 2013}}~~
	{{Infobox language		{{Infobox language
	\|name=Ro		\|name=Ro
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	Rev. Edward Powell Foster lived from 1853 through 1937;<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm\|title=Article on Ro\|author=Rick Harrison\|website=Langmaker.com\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423022410/http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm\|url-status=dead\|archivedate=April 23, 2012}}</ref> in [[Marietta, Ohio]]. He was buried along with his wife in Riverview Cemetery in [[Parkersburg, West Virginia]].		Rev. Edward Powell Foster lived from 1853 through 1937;<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm\|title=Article on Ro\|author=Rick Harrison\|website=Langmaker.com\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423022410/http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm\|url-status=dead\|archivedate=April 23, 2012}}</ref> in [[Marietta, Ohio]]. He was buried along with his wife in Riverview Cemetery in [[Parkersburg, West Virginia]].

	==~~Characteristics~~==		==Introduction==
	In Ro, words are constructed using a [[A priori (languages)\|category system]]. For example, all words starting with "bofo-" signify colors; the word for ''red'' is "bofoc", and ''yellow'' is "bofof". Foster did not simply try to design a better language in general, but to optimize his language for one design criterion: recognizability of unknown words. Foster wrote about Ro:		In Ro, words are constructed using a [[A priori (languages)\|category system]]. For example, all words starting with "bofo-" signify colors; the word for ''red'' is "bofoc", and ''yellow'' is "bofof". Foster did not simply try to design a better language in general, but to optimize his language for one design criterion: recognizability of unknown words. Foster wrote about Ro:

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	[[Solresol]] was an earlier classificatory language that by using a smaller symbol set achieved easier distinctness. There have been a few more recent attempts to design a language along similar lines, such as Ygyde<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm\|title=Ygyde Language\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201111356/http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm\|archivedate=February 1, 2016\|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Japanese-made [[Babm]], but most subsequent constructed language makers have avoided this taxonomic or hierarchic design for the reasons mentioned above.		[[Solresol]] was an earlier classificatory language that by using a smaller symbol set achieved easier distinctness. There have been a few more recent attempts to design a language along similar lines, such as Ygyde<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm\|title=Ygyde Language\|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201111356/http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm\|archivedate=February 1, 2016\|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Japanese-made [[Babm]], but most subsequent constructed language makers have avoided this taxonomic or hierarchic design for the reasons mentioned above.

	==~~Alphabet~~ and ~~pronunciation~~==		==Phonology and orthography==
	Ro is written with the [[Latin alphabet]]. The letters [[C]], [[J]], [[Q]] and [[X]] are pronounced as: /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /ŋ/ and /χ/ respectively. The vowels ([[A]], [[E]], [[I]], [[O]] and [[U]]) are pronounced as in the [[Spanish language]].<ref name=dicti>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756\|title=Dictionary of Ro, the World Language\|via=[[Google Books]]\|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster\|publisher=ROIA\|location=[[Waverly, West Virginia]]\|year=1928}}</ref>		Ro is written with the [[Latin alphabet]]. The letters [[C]], [[J]], [[Q]] and [[X]] are pronounced as: /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /ŋ/ and /χ/ respectively. The vowels ([[A]], [[E]], [[I]], [[O]] and [[U]]) are pronounced as in the [[Spanish language]].<ref name=dicti>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756\|title=Dictionary of Ro, the World Language\|via=[[Google Books]]\|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster\|publisher=ROIA\|location=[[Waverly, West Virginia]]\|year=1928}}</ref>

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	Iqk ra av dimgef doqab ov dodac		Iqk ra av dimgef doqab ov dodac
	Ip ad, ud mobem id lastom rivalz.</poem>}}		Ip ad, ud mobem id lastom rivalz.</poem>}}

	~~{{Portal\|Constructed languages}}~~

	==References==		==References==
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	*[http://www.sorabji.com/r/ro/ Dictionary of Ro] on sorabji.com		*[http://www.sorabji.com/r/ro/ Dictionary of Ro] on sorabji.com

	~~{{Constructed languages}}~~

	~~{{DEFAULTSORT:Ro (Artificial Language)}}~~
	[[Category:Engineered languages]]		[[Category:Engineered languages]]
	[[Category:~~Constructed languages introduced in the 1900s~~]]		[[Category:Languages]]
	[[Category:~~1904 introductions~~]]		[[Category:A priori]]
	[[Category:~~Constructed~~ languages]]		[[Category:Philosophical languages]]

Nicomega: Created page with "{{Primary sources|date=March 2013}} {{Infobox language |name=Ro |pronunciation={{IPA|[ɹo]}} |creator=Edward Powell Foster |created=1906 |setting=Categorizing human thought. |..."

2021-02-05T19:07:35Z

Created page with "{{Primary sources|date=March 2013}} {{Infobox language |name=Ro |pronunciation={{IPA|[ɹo]}} |creator=Edward Powell Foster |created=1906 |setting=Categorizing human thought. |..."

New page

{{Primary sources|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Ro
|pronunciation={{IPA|[ɹo]}}
|creator=Edward Powell Foster
|created=1906
|setting=Categorizing human thought.
|speakers=Unknown
|date=2018
|family=[[constructed language]]
* '''Ro'''
|posteriori=[[a priori language]]
|script=Latin
|iso3=none
|glotto=none
}}
'''Ro''' is an [[A priori (languages)|a priori]] [[constructed language]] created by Rev. Edward Powell Foster beginning in 1904.

==Creator==
Rev. Edward Powell Foster lived from 1853 through 1937;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm|title=Article on Ro|author=Rick Harrison|website=Langmaker.com|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423022410/http://www.langmaker.com/outpost/ro.htm|url-status=dead|archivedate=April 23, 2012}}</ref> in [[Marietta, Ohio]]. He was buried along with his wife in Riverview Cemetery in [[Parkersburg, West Virginia]].

==Characteristics==
In Ro, words are constructed using a [[A priori (languages)|category system]]. For example, all words starting with "bofo-" signify colors; the word for ''red'' is "bofoc", and ''yellow'' is "bofof". Foster did not simply try to design a better language in general, but to optimize his language for one design criterion: recognizability of unknown words. Foster wrote about Ro:

{{Quote|Ro did not begin with attempting to rival or supplant any other language whatever, either natural or artificial, nor was it suggested by any of them.
Unexpectedly came the thought: "How strange it is that there is nothing in the appearance of a written or printed word that gives the slightest hint of its meaning. Why should a word not be a picture? A new word, never seen before would then, like a painting seen for the first time, convey at least some of the meaning to the eye."<ref name="Dict">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756|via=[[Google Books]]|title=Dictionary of Ro: The World Language|page=3|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster|publisher=ROIA|location=[[Waverly, West Virginia]]|year=1928}}</ref>}}

After working on the language for about two years, Foster published the first booklet about Ro in 1906. The publication of Ro periodicals was supported by several American sponsors, especially from the [[Marietta, Ohio]] area, including [[Melvil Dewey]],<ref name="Dict 6">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756|via=[[Google Books]]|title=Dictionary of Ro: The World Language|page=6|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster|publisher=ROIA|location=[[Waverly, West Virginia]]|year=1928}}</ref> inventor of the [[Dewey Decimal Classification]] (another attempt to categorize human knowledge), Vice President [[Charles G. Dawes]],<ref name="Dict 6"/> [[George White (Ohio politician)|George White]],<ref name="Dict 6"/> who mentioned Ro in the [[Congressional Record]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://library.conlang.org/about/Conlang_Exhibit_Master_File_Text_rev.pdf|title=Esperanto, Elvish, and Beyond: The World of Constructed Languages}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://conlang.org/resources/conlangers-calendar/?start=20180301&months=1|title=A Conlanger's Calendar {{!}} Language Creation Society (Month set to March)}}</ref> and [[Alice Vanderbilt Morris]] of [[International Auxiliary Language Association|IALA]].<ref name="Dict 6"/> Several more books about Ro by Foster and his wife appeared over the years, as late as 1932.

A common criticism of Ro is that it can be difficult to hear the difference between two words; usually one consonant makes the word different in meaning, but still similar enough that the intended meaning often cannot be guessed from context. This characteristic is common among [[philosophical languages]], which are characterized by vocabulary developed taxonomically, independently of natural languages. ''A posteriori'' languages, such as [[Esperanto]] and [[Interlingua]], are more popular than the ''a priori'' type, perhaps partly because their familiar vocabulary makes them easy to learn and recognize. Conversely, a priori languages are seen as being more neutral because there are so many languages and root words used in different languages may be completely different.

[[Solresol]] was an earlier classificatory language that by using a smaller symbol set achieved easier distinctness. There have been a few more recent attempts to design a language along similar lines, such as Ygyde<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm|title=Ygyde Language|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201111356/http://www.medianet.pl/~andrew/ygyde/ygyde.htm|archivedate=February 1, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Japanese-made [[Babm]], but most subsequent constructed language makers have avoided this taxonomic or hierarchic design for the reasons mentioned above.

==Alphabet and pronunciation==
Ro is written with the [[Latin alphabet]]. The letters [[C]], [[J]], [[Q]] and [[X]] are pronounced as: /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /ŋ/ and /χ/ respectively. The vowels ([[A]], [[E]], [[I]], [[O]] and [[U]]) are pronounced as in the [[Spanish language]].<ref name=dicti>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02613756|title=Dictionary of Ro, the World Language|via=[[Google Books]]|author=Rev. Edward Powell Foster|publisher=ROIA|location=[[Waverly, West Virginia]]|year=1928}}</ref>

==Sample text==
The following sample is from ''[http://library.conlang.org/about/Conlang_Exhibit_Master_File_Text_rev.pdf Esperanto, Elvish, and Beyond: The World of Constructed Languages]''. It is the last stanza of [[William Cullen Bryant]]'s "[[Thanatopsis]]" translated into Ro by Foster himself:

{{Quote|<poem>Asi lib, ut avit ace vodas,
Em kep eb cok zudod pibaf av keb
Id bofwo dacagz ov bocnap, avid
Ak hek dugac in dufalz ov lobu
Ac en ket iqk futoq rambar taji,
Paksolo id datag, ub, poboso
Ip en mojop rigam, kidjeb lotmag
Iqk ra av dimgef doqab ov dodac
Ip ad, ud mobem id lastom rivalz.</poem>}}

{{Portal|Constructed languages}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ro_language/ Ro forum] on Yahoo Groups
*[http://www.sorabji.com/r/ro/ Dictionary of Ro] on sorabji.com

{{Constructed languages}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ro (Artificial Language)}}
[[Category:Engineered languages]]
[[Category:Constructed languages introduced in the 1900s]]
[[Category:1904 introductions]]
[[Category:Constructed languages]]