Re: VMs: Babelfish translation [plus question for Dana]

[Jacques Guy <jguy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

14/11/2003 11:15:02 PM, Nick Pelling <incoming@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>BTW: one problem with pairifying the VMs is <o>, as it is such an 
>incredibly multi-function glyph:-
>* in <ol> and <or>, it looks like the left-hand half of a verbose cipher pair
>* in <qo>, <cho> and <eo>, it looks like the right-hand half of a verbose 
>cipher pair
>* at the start of a word (typically before a gallows), it looks like a 
>Greek omicron ("the")

I don't see there anything at all stranger than what you find in many
natural-language phonologies and spelling systems.

Take the Spanish 'r' for instance. You have two or them: a flap (as in
'pero') and a trill (as in 'perro'). You never find 'rr' word-initially,
only 'r'. But 'r' at the initial of a word represents a trill, and you
never find a flap in that position. Logically, 'rosa' should be spelt
'rrosa'. Think of the comments here if no-one knew Spanish. How come
this letter is always double at the beginning of words? 

Take Classical Greek now. 'r' was always aspirated at the beginning of
a word. And is, in Roman transliteration: rho, rhinoceros, and so on.
How strange... just as strange as Voynichese 'qo', isn't it?

And then I have mentioned Fijian time and again. You find 'y' only at
the beginning of words. And it is always, always, followed by an 'a'.


Armenian now. The letter 'u' is always preceded by an 'o' so: 'ou'
It represents the sound of French 'ou', German/Italian/Spanish 'u'.

Now there is another letter, which is pronounced 'ev'. Yes, two
sounds, e+v, one single letter.

I really do not see anything strikingly special about Voynichese.


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