On The Language Closet, we have taken a look at some of the more unusual vowel systems that can occur in the world's languages. From languages that have been purported to have fewer than two phonemic vowels to languages with multiple phonation types for each vowel, there is one main similarity that these languages primarily … Continue reading Are there languages with horizontal vowel systems?
vowel
Can there be a language without vowels? The case of Kabardian
A while ago, we covered the possibility of a language that distinguishes between fewer than two vowels, and reached a rather ambiguous answer. However, there have been arguments and proposals made by some linguists that there can be languages that do not distinguish between vowels at all. And so today, we will take a look … Continue reading Can there be a language without vowels? The case of Kabardian
A language with no phonemic vowels?
A while ago, we discussed the plausibility of a language to have fewer than two phonemic vowels, using the Moloko language as a case study. We ultimately learned that Moloko could have one or two phonemic vowels depending on how one analyses its sound system, and breaks down its surface vowel system. However, when reading … Continue reading A language with no phonemic vowels?
Are there languages with fewer than 2 phonemic vowels?
Amongst the languages of the world, some are known for having an unusually large number of phonemic vowels in their phonological inventories, with one of the most popular examples being the Danish language, if we are discounting additional phonation types like breathiness. Today, I want to take a look in the other extreme, and try … Continue reading Are there languages with fewer than 2 phonemic vowels?
Trying to make sense of Irish vowels (Pt 2)
Previously, I shared the various difficulties I faced when learning the orthography of Irish consonants, and how they are pronounced. But this time, I am faced with a bigger challenge -- figuring out how the vowels are pronounced. After all, the Irish language is no stranger to vowel sequences like "aoi" and "uai", building up … Continue reading Trying to make sense of Irish vowels (Pt 2)
The breve — Beyond its use in Romanian
Saying that Romanian is a bit like French may be a bit of an understatement. They both share a common ancestor for their languages, being Vulgar Latin, and thus have rather similar words, and for some parts, grammar. But these similarities go a bit further than that. In orthography, both French and Romanian have their … Continue reading The breve — Beyond its use in Romanian
Diaresis, tréma, Umlaut. Which is it?
Sometimes you would see two dots above some vowels, like Joyeux Noël (French for Merry Christmas), or naïve in, curiously, English. This diacritic can be found in alphabets from Albanian to Swedish. Normally represented by two dots above the letter where the sound is modified, or some other things, we also find a similar-looking sort … Continue reading Diaresis, tréma, Umlaut. Which is it?
Putting a ring on it — The å’s diacritic
The letter 'å' (typed using Alt+0229) is perhaps one of the most recognisable letters in the languages of Scandinavia, as you may have recalled the last time you went strolling about in an Ikea store. It is even the entire name of certain places in Norway and Sweden. So too does it represent a unit … Continue reading Putting a ring on it — The å’s diacritic
Why does the Hawaiian language have so few sounds?
The Hawaiian alphabet is short. In comparison with the English set of 26 letters, Hawaiian has only 13. 5 vowels, 7 consonants, and the 'okina, written as '. There is the macron used to mark long vowels in the Hawaiian language, but these vowels carrying macrons are not considered separate letters. With such a short … Continue reading Why does the Hawaiian language have so few sounds?
A look back at Wordle
In January 2022, a game took the Internet by storm. In a burst of popularity, millions have taken to solve daily challenges, with a simple objective -- to guess the five letter word of the day within six guesses. Although originally released in English, this game has since been released in other languages, but ultimately … Continue reading A look back at Wordle
Trying to understand a Mongolian phonology rule
When I first set out to learn Mongolian, I expected the sound system and alphabets to be more straightforward than some other languages like say, Tibetan. With this, came this expectation of sort of a one-to-one relationship between letter and sound. However, in reality, I realised some letters were not quite pronounced the way I … Continue reading Trying to understand a Mongolian phonology rule
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