I'm doing so because I have time to do so and because I actually want to train my English by practicing it. So if you intend to read me and see mistakes that I could avoid, please tell me! And, of course, I'd be glad if you could do the exercises too. (Who wouldn't? ^^)
Oh and if you have suggestions about the actual lessons, or if you just want to tell me that this is useless, well I'm listening too. xD
So...
Lesson 1 : Phonology
Introduction :
As this is the first lesson, this is an introduction for both the language and this lesson.
Deyryck is a language that, in my conworld, is meant to be talked in a whole universe. It is supposed to be a very easy to learn language, yet I've been told it wasn't, so let's put this information aside. The first lessons will be there to explain the very main principle in the language. As you'll follow them, you can see that many of the thing that you were told in the previous lessons can actually change a lot. I believe this is necessary in order to truly understand the way the language works.
Now, this lesson will talk about the Deyryck's phonology. It will not show the writing system, just the usual transcription on the keyboard. This isn't a very hard lesson. Although it might be hard to understand me.
Even though this isn't the real writing system of the Deyryck, I'll refer to it with the same name : Ryck.
Consonants :
In Deyryck consonants are divided into five groups. There's the main group : the strong-ones. And then the four other groups : the weak-ones, the weakest-ones, the accesses and the auxiliaries.
A consonant from one of those four groups is always belonging to a strong-one. Example : Z (/z/) is the weak-one of the S (/s/).
For these two groups (strong and weak) we have the following characters :
- Strong : R /ʁ/ ; Weak : L /l/
- Strong : S /s/ ; Weak : Z /z/
- Strong : F /f/ ; Weak : V /v/
- Strong : T /t/ ; Weak : D /d/
- Strong : P /p/ ; Weak : B /b/
- Strong : K /k/ ; Weak : G /g/
- Strong : C /ʃ/ ; Weak : J /ʒ/
- Strong : M /m/ ; Weak : none
- Strong : N /n/ ; Weak : none
- Strong : Y /j/ ; Weak : none
- Strong : H /h/ ; Weak : none
Here they are :
- µ /x/ (access of the R)
- W /w/ (weakest-one of the R)
- Q /ð/ (weakest-one of the T)
And finally the auxiliaries. These are only a matter of dialog precision. Each consonant has in fact many ways of being pronounced. An auxiliary of a consonant is another way to pronounce it.
Here are some of them (it is useless to remind the character used to represent them) :
- £ /r/ auxiliary of the R.
- ç /θ/ auxiliary of the S.
- :w /ɹ/ auxiliary of the W.
Vowels :
There's nothing to say, here they are :
- a : /a/
- â : /ɑ/
- o : /o/
- ô : /ɔ/
- i : /i/
- î : /ɪ/
- u : /y/
- û : /u/
- ù : /ʊ/
- é : /e/
- è : /ɛ/
- e : /ø , ə/
- ê : /œ/
- à : /ɑ̃/
- ò : /ɔ̃/
- ì : /ɛ̃ , œ̃/
Other rules :
You know almost everything, but there are some little rules to know. They're about a phenomenon that occurs when two identical consonants are next to each others.
If they're strong-ones, the first one will be pronounced /t/, if they were Ts it is pronounced /k/ instead.
If they're weak-ones,, the first one will be pronounced /d/, if they were Ds it is pronounced /g/ instead.
Examples :
ékko is pronounced /etko/.
étto is pronounced /ekto/.
ézzo is pronounced /edzo/.
éddo is pronounced /egdo/.
And that's it for this lesson.
Exercises :
I will try to make exercises more and more consequent as lessons goes. But, you don't have to do them entirely. (Well you don't have to them at all, but you got my point... at least I hope so^^)
Try to write the following English sentences using the Ryck.
- I believe there's a better world waiting for us and I'll be waiting for you there.
- Don't try to pull the mushrooms, they're toxic!
- Don't you dare talking to me this way!
- Dad is home.
- No one can match me.
- Oh look, a butterfly!
I won't go with you tonight.
Ây wònt go wiq yû tûnayt.
Write the pronunciation of the following Deyryck's words using the IPA.
- kéno
- ékto
- ramassé
- àgaqi
- èlôja
- alissiksitahas
Hope, it wasn't too bad! :p