path: root/language/vispeech/info2.tex

\input vismacs.tex
\font\vis=vispeech
\font\bigbf=cmbx12
\centerline{\bigbf Visible Speech Font}
\line{\hfill from: Mark Shoulson (shoulson@ctr.columbia.edu)
\bigskip
The Visible Speech is a phonetic alphabet invented by Alexander Melville
Bell (you may have heard of his son, Alexander Graham Bell, who invented a
fairly widely-used contraption).  Bell was a teacher of the Deaf (as was
the younger Bell, incidentally), and this alphabet was intended as an aid
to teaching the Deaf how to pronounce words, by reducing sounds to a
presumably unambiguous representation.  This file would be ridiculously
long if I reprinted all Bell's description of the alphabet, but I'll
summarize it here.  My information is all from Bell's book {\vis
\pm\vmbw\glipback\pnv\psv\pmv\ \vlfw\pnv\psv\ \pbv\vmfw\gpoint\
\ppv\vhfp\pdv\vmfp\gtop\tm\vmbp\pnv\pmv} ({\sl Sounds and their
Relations\/}), published in~1881.

The consonants in Visible Speech are all non-ascending, non-descending
letters, which consist mainly of a loop indicating the point of
articulation.  Bell classified consonants into four points of articulation:
the back of the tongue ({\vis\bp}), the top of the tongue ({\vis\tp}), the
point of the tongue ({\vis\pp}), and the lip ({\vis\lp}).  In the basic
state, as they are, the loops just mean that that's where the air is
flowing.  Bell describes a slightly more open and longer version of
{\vis\lp} as ``cooling'' ({\it i.e.}~blowing to cool).  If the curve is
shut ({\vis\ls}), that means the airflow is also stopped (in this case, an
unexpelled~{\it p\/}).  Closing the loop with a squiggle indicates that the
air passes out the nose, giving you a nasal ({\vis\ln}~is therefore a
voiceless~{\it m\/}).  Adding a horizontal or vertical bar to the letter
indicates voice ({\vis\lpv}~is an unfinished~{\it b}, {\vis\lnv} is an~{\it
m\/}, and {\vis\pnv}~an~{\it n}).  ``Divided'' curves, like~{\vis\ld},
indicate ``lateral or interstitial apertures for the emission of the
breath.''  So {\vis\ld} represents the sound of an English~{\it f}, and
{\vis\ldv}~a~{\it v}.  The points of the curve may also point back,
indicating modification by the mouth-part on the other side of the curve.
So {\vis\lmv}~is like {\vis\lpv} except that the tongue is pulled back
somewhat, and is thus more like the English~{\it w\/} (according to Bell,
at any rate).  These are a little harder to explain; I will try to make a
table showing very briefly Bell's examples for each sound and some
variants, and you can work it out for yourself.  Sounds may be both
modified and divided, as~{\vis\pb}: the~{\it th\/} in ``thin.''

Vowels are all vertically-oriented glyphs, with high vowels rising above
the consonants, low vowels descending, and middle vowels doing both.  The
curls on the ends are on the right side for front vowels, the left for back
vowels, and both sides for mixed vowels.  A bar across the middle of a
vowel indicates lip-rounding.  If the curls are open, the vowel is
``wide.''  So {\vis\vhfp\mholder}~is the {\it ee\/}~in ``feel'' (the
modifier~{\vis\mholder} indicates greater length), while {\vis\vhfw}~is the
{\it i\/}~sound in~``ill'' (all examples are paraphrases of Bell's; your
ideolect may vary).

There is also a selection of glides, sometimes hinting at their point of
articulation, as well as many modifiers to change the sounds slightly ({\it
e.g.}~for ``blowing an object from the point of the tongue,'' you could use
{\vis\ps\mprotruded\lp}, where~{\vis\mprotruded} indicates that the tongue
is protruded all the way to the lips.  Similarly, {\vis\minverted}~means
the tongue goes toward the back of the mouth.  I'll list Bell's one-word
descriptions in the table, and try to clarify where possible.  One more
that doesn't appear on the table: the plus sign joins sounds that are
articulated simultaneously.
\medskip
{\bf Things to do:} (Not that I'll do them, but it makes me look
responsible.)  (1) fix the left-right (up-down) symmetry on many of the
glyphs.  There are attempts to in some of them, but they're kludges and
don't always work.  (2) fix that deep white cut in the dints of the divided
letters.  (3)  Supply more examples.  (5) re-arrange the glyphs so they're
in reasonable spots in the font table.  (6) invent a scheme of inputting
them that doesn't require neural surgery to understand.  (7) and so on\dots
\vfil\eject
\centerline{\bf Visible Speech Consonants}
\medskip
(All examples are Bell's or paraphrases thereof)
\medskip
{\parindent=0pt\parfillskip=0pt
\halign{&\vis #\hskip 1em&\dotfill\sevenrm #\hskip .25in\cr
\omit&\omit\hbox to 2in{\hfil\vbox to 0pt{\vss}}&
	\omit&\omit\hbox to 2in{\hfil\vbox to 0pt{\vss}}\cr
\noalign {\vskip -\baselineskip}
\lp&blowing to cool	&\bn&non-vocal ng\cr
\lpv&w (German)	&\bnv&ng\cr
\lm&wh	&\tp&h in ``hue'', ch in German ``ich''\cr
\lmv&w	&\tpv&y in ``yet''\cr
\ld&f	&\tm&sh\cr
\ldv&v	&\tmv&(zh) in ``azure''\cr
\lb&gutteralized f (draw back tongue)	&\td&``defective form of s''\cr
\lbv&gutteralized v (draw back tongue)	&\tdv&gl in Italian ``gli''\cr
\ls&p (shut)	&\tb&Welsh ll\cr
\ls\memission&final p, lips separating afterwards	&\tbv&Zulu dhl\cr
\lsv&b	&\ts&Sanskrit ``cerebral'' (retroflex) t\cr
\ln&non-vocal m	&\tsv&Sanskrit ``cerebral'' d, ``thick'' d\cr
\lnv&m	&\tn&``thick'' n (non-vocal)\cr
\bp&ch (German ``nach'', Scottish ``loch'') 	&\tnv&thick n\cr
\bp\minner&low formation, further back
			&\pp&non-vocal r, in French ``theatre''\cr
\bp\mouter&high formation, further up	&\ppv&r in ``ray''\cr
\bpv&French r in ``grassey\'e''	&\ppv\mtrill&trilled r\cr
\bpv\mtrill&rough burr (back-trilled) r	&\pm&s\cr
\bm&gh in Scottish ``sough'' (above, lip-rounded)&	\pmv&z\cr
\bmv&labialized burr	&\pd&non-vocal l in French ``table''\cr
\bd&hiss of water-fowl	&\pdv&l\cr
\bdv&l in Gaelic ``laogh''	&\pb&th in ``thin''\cr
\pdv\mplus\bp&nearly equal to {\vis\bdv}	&\pbv&th in ``then''\cr
\bb&``do not occur as linguistic sounds''	&\ps&t\cr
\bbv&``do not occur as linguistic sounds''	&\psv&d\cr
\bs&k	&\pn&non-vocal n\cr
\bsv&g	&\pnv&n\cr
\fp&h	&\fP&rough aspiration, whisper\cr
\fPv&vocalized whisper, hoarseness	&\fs&``Catch'' in the throat, cough\cr
}}
\medskip
\centerline{\bf Vowels}
\medskip
{\parindent=0pt\parfillskip=0pt
\halign{&\vis #\hskip 1em&\dotfill\sevenrm #\hskip .25in\cr
\omit&\omit\hbox to 2in{\hfil\vbox to 0pt{\vss}}&
	\omit&\omit\hbox to 2in{\hfil\vbox to 0pt{\vss}}\cr
\noalign {\vskip -\baselineskip}
\vhfp&(short) i in French ``fille''
		&\vhbpr&(short) oo in Scotch ``food''\cr
\vhfw&(short) i in ``ill''	&\vhbwr&(short) oo in ``foot''\cr
\vmfp&(short) e in French ``est''	&\vmbpr&(short) o in Scotch ``note''\cr
\vmfp\gtop&name of letter A	&\vmbwr&(short) o in ``opinion''\cr
\vmfw&(short) i in Scotch [sic] ``ill''	&\vlbpr\mholder&(long) a in ``all''\cr
\vlfp&(short) e in ``let''	&\vlbpr&(short) a in ``what''\cr
\vlfw&(short) a in ``hat''	&\vlbwr&(short) o in ``on''\cr
\vhbp&sound you get if you unround the oo in ``room''.
		&\vhfpr&(short) \"u in German ``\"uber''\cr
\vhbp\mholder&ao in Gaelic ``laogh''	&\vhfwr&(short) u in French ``une''\cr
\vhbw&(short) ou in -ous (courageous)
		&\vmfpr&(short) \^u in French ``b\^ut''\cr
\vmbp&(short) u in ``up''	&\vmfwr&no examples given\cr
\vmbw&sound from unrounding o in ``ore'', a in ``pathetic''
		&\vlfpr&(short) eu in French ``jeune''\cr
\vlbp&(short) u in Scotch [sic] ``up''	&\vlfwr&Cockney ou in ``about''\cr
\vlbw&(short) a in Scotch ``man'', a in ``alms''
		&\vhmpr&(short) oo in North Irish ``look''\cr
\vhmp\mholder&(long) i in ``sir'' (American)
		&\vhmwr&(short) u in colloquial ``awful''\cr
\vhmw&e in ``the''	&\vmmpr&(short) o in French ``homme''\cr
\vmmp&French ``e mute''	&\vmmwr&(short) o in American ``whole''\cr
\vmmw&(short) ``a'' (article)	&\vlmpr&(short) i in Irish ``sir''\cr
\vlmp&(short) e in Cockney ``penny''	&\vlmwr&(short) o in ``obtain''\cr
\vlmw&(short) e in ``perform''\cr
}}
\goodbreak
\centerline{\bf Glides}
\medskip
{\parindent=0pt\parfillskip=0pt
\halign{\hskip 1in#\dotfill&\hskip 1em\vis#&\ as in #\hfil\cr
Breath&\gbreath&{\vis\ls\gbreath\vhfw\bsv}, ``pig'' (Irish)\cr
Voice&\gvoice&{\vis\lmv\vhfp\gvoice\ppv\vhfw}, ``weary''\cr
Round&\ground&{\vis\pnv\vlfw\ground}, ``now'' (Cockney)\cr
Throat&\gthroat&{\vis\vmbw\gthroat}, ``are'' (variety of smooth Burr)\cr
Back&\gback&{\vis\vmbw\gback}, ``are'' (variety of smooth Burr)\cr
Back Round&\gbackround
	&{\vis\vmbw\gbackround}, ``are'' (variety of smooth Burr)\cr
Top&\gtop&{\vis\psv\vmbw\gtop}, ``die''\cr
Top Round&\gtopround&{\vis\pnv\gtopround\vhmpr}, ``new'' (North Irish)\cr
Point&\gpoint&{\vis\vlbw\gpoint}, ``are''\cr
Point Round&\gpointround
	&{\vis\vmbw\glipback\gpointround}, ``our'' (Common)\cr
Lip&\glip&{\vis\pdv\glip\vhfp}, ``lui'' (French)\cr
Lip \& Back&\glipback&{\vis\pnv\vmbw\glipback}, ``now''\cr
}}
\bigskip
\centerline{\bf Modifiers}
\medskip
{\parindent=0pt
\halign{#\dotfill&\hskip 1em\vis#&\ #\hfil\cr
Inner&\minner&(Produced farther back)\cr
Outer&\mouter&(Produced farther forward)\cr
Close&\mclose&(More closed)\cr
Open&\mopen&(More open)\cr
Trill&\mtrill\cr
Nasal&\mnasal\cr
Side Open&\moneside&(Air escapes one side)\cr
Side Open&\mbothsides&(Air escapes both sides)\cr
Inverted&\minverted&(Tongue curled back)\cr
Protruded&\mprotruded&(Tongue protruded toward lips)\cr
Stop&\mstop\cr
Suction&\msuction&(Produced with air moving inwards)\cr
Emission&\memission\cr
Suction Stopped&\msuctionstopped\cr
Emission Stopped&\memissionstopped\cr
Hiatus&\mhiatus\cr
Abrupt&\mabrupt\cr
Holder&\mholder\cr
Accent&\maccent&(On non-initial syllable, placed to the left)\cr
Emphasis&\memphasis&(On whole word)\cr
Whistle&\mwhistle\cr
Voiced Whistle&\mvwhistle\cr
}}
\vfill\eject