yeli-renrong:

kontextmaschine:

plum-soup:

downerpress:

i had no idea the mormon’s created their own alphabet.  because of tumblr and wikipedia, now i do! (and you do, too.)

wait so are they ripping off armenian, cyrillic, greek, or all three

I dunno, which alphabet did Sequoyah rip off for Cherokee?

Many of the consonants (e.g. 𐐒 𐐕 𐐔 𐐙 𐐢 𐐝 𐐓 𐐎 = B C D F L S T W) are derived straightforwardly from Latin. Recent Deseret fonts sometimes make the similarities more explicit, especially with 𐐔, which can become identical to Latin <d>. 

𐐥 = /ŋ/ is from Pitman phonotypy, a direct predecessor of the Deseret alphabet, which used an identical form.  𐐖 = /dʒ/ could be derived from either Latin J or the Pitman phonotypic letter for /tʃ/.

The lax vowels 𐐈 𐐉 𐐇 𐐊 𐐆 𐐋 are modifications of a connecting line between two letters, most likely as de novo designs arising from George Watt’s experience with vowel-optional shorthand and the general triangle-wave path of the pen. The stroke in 𐐆 is also from Pitman phonotypy, which used <Ɨ> for /ɨ/ = unstressed /ɪ/.

𐐂, the most difficult letterform (representing /ɑ/, a very uncommon vowel at the time, since this precedes the father-bother merger), could have been derived from Benjamin Franklin’s phonetic letter for /ɒ/.

The pairs 𐐘 𐐗, 𐐃 𐐄, 𐐝 𐐠, and arguably 𐐡 𐐏 are distinguished by the presence vs. absence of connectors. 𐐍 looks like a connected version of 𐐂 but is a bindrune of 𐐂 + 𐐋, similarly to 𐐧 = 𐐆 + 𐐅 and 𐐦 = 𐐉 + 𐐆. (Thales Haskell used a 𐐆 + 𐐋 bindrune for /juw/ and inexplicably borrowed the 𐐧 letterform for /oj/ - maybe he pronounced it /uj/?)

Some letters were derived by rotation of other letters - 𐐑 𐐛, 𐐓 𐐢, 𐐂 𐐚, 𐐌 𐐐, 𐐣 𐐕 - presumably for reasons of economy in typemaking.

One would like to derive 𐐟 = /ʃ/ from the Bactrian sho (ϸ = /ʃ/) but unfortunately this is untenable.

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𐐣𐐯𐑌𐐮 𐐲𐑂 𐑄 𐐿𐐪𐑌𐑅ı𐑌ı𐑌𐐻𐑅 (e.g. 𐐒 𐐕 𐐔 𐐙 𐐢 𐐝 𐐓 𐐎 = B C D F L S T W) 𐐪𐑉 𐐼ı𐑉𐐴𐑂𐐼 𐑅𐐻𐑉𐐩𐐻𐑁𐐫𐑉𐐶ı𐑉𐐼𐑊𐐮 𐑁𐑉𐐲𐑋 𐐢𐐰𐐻𐐮𐑌. 𐐡𐐨𐑅ı𐑌𐐻 𐐔𐐯𐑆ı𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐑁𐐪𐑌𐐻𐑅 𐑅𐐲𐑋𐐻𐐴𐑋𐑆 𐑋𐐩𐐿 𐑄 𐑅𐐮𐑋ı𐑊𐐯𐑉𐐮𐐻𐐨𐑆 𐑋𐐫𐑉 𐐮𐐿𐑅𐐹𐑊𐐮𐑅𐐮𐐻, 𐐮𐑅𐐹𐐯𐑇ı𐑊𐐮 𐐶𐐮𐑃 𐐔, 𐐶𐐮𐐽 𐐿𐐯𐑌 𐐺𐐮𐐿𐐲𐑋 𐐴𐐼𐐯𐑌𐐻𐐮𐐿ı𐑊 𐐻𐐭 𐐢𐐰𐐻𐐮𐑌 <d>.

𐐥 = /ŋ/ 𐐮𐑆 𐑁𐑉𐐲𐑋 𐐑𐐮𐐻𐑋ı𐑌 𐑁𐐬𐑌𐐪𐐻𐐮𐐹𐐮, 𐐩 𐐼ı𐑉𐐯𐐿𐐻 𐐹𐑉𐐯𐐼𐐮𐑅𐐯𐑅ı𐑉 𐐲𐑂 𐑄 𐐔𐐯𐑆ı𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐰𐑊𐑁ı𐐺𐐯𐐻, 𐐶𐐮𐐽 𐑏𐑆𐐼 𐐰𐑌 𐐴𐐼𐐯𐑌𐐻𐐮𐐿ı𐑊 𐑁𐐫𐑉𐑋. 𐐖 = /dʒ/ 𐐿𐐳𐐼 𐐺𐐨 𐐼ı𐑉𐐴𐑂𐐼 𐑁𐑉𐐲𐑋 𐐨𐑄ı𐑉 𐐢𐐰𐐻𐐮𐑌 J 𐐶𐑉 𐑄 𐐑𐐮𐐻𐑋ı𐑌 𐑁𐐬𐑌𐐪𐐻𐐮𐐹𐐮𐐿 𐑊𐐯𐐻ı𐑉 𐑁𐐫𐑉 /tʃ/.

𐐜 𐑊𐐰𐐿𐑅 𐑂𐐵ı𐑊𐑆 𐐈 𐐉 𐐇 𐐊 𐐆 𐐋 𐐪𐑉 𐑋𐐪𐐼𐐮𐑁𐐮𐐿𐐩𐑇ı𐑌𐑆 𐐲𐑂 𐐩 𐐿ı𐑌𐐯𐐿𐐻𐐮𐑍 𐑊𐐴𐑌 𐐺𐐮𐐻𐐶𐐨𐑌 𐐻𐐭 𐑊𐐯𐐻ı𐑉𐑆, 𐑋𐐬𐑅𐐻 𐑊𐐴𐐿𐑊𐐮 𐐰𐑆 𐐼𐐩 𐑌𐐬𐑂𐐬 𐐼𐐮𐑆𐐴𐑌𐑆 ı𐑉𐐴𐑆𐐮𐑍 𐑁𐑉𐐲𐑋 𐐖𐐫𐑉𐐾 𐐎𐐪𐐻𐑅 𐐮𐐿𐑅𐐹𐐨𐑉𐐨𐐮𐑌𐑅 𐐶𐐮𐑄 𐑂𐐵ı𐑊-𐐪𐐹𐑇ı𐑌ı𐑊 𐑇𐐫𐑉𐐻𐐸𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐑄 𐐾𐐯𐑌ı𐑉ı𐑊 𐐻𐑉𐐴𐐰𐑍𐑀ı𐑊-𐐶𐐩𐑂 𐐹𐐰𐑃 𐐲𐑂 𐑄 𐐹𐐯𐑌. 𐐜 𐑅𐐻𐑉𐐬𐐿 𐐮𐑌 𐐆 𐐮𐑆 𐐫𐑊𐑅𐐬 𐑁𐑉𐐲𐑋 𐐑𐐮𐐻𐑋ı𐑌 𐑁𐐬𐑌𐐪𐐻𐐮𐐹𐐮, 𐐶𐐮𐐽 𐐭𐑆𐐼 <Ɨ> 𐑁𐐫𐑉 /ɨ/ = 𐐲𐑌𐑅𐐻𐑉𐐯𐑅𐐻 /ɪ/.

𐐂, 𐑄 𐑋𐐬𐑅𐐻 𐐼𐐮𐑁𐐮𐐿𐐳𐑊𐐻 𐑊𐐯𐐻ı𐑉𐑁𐐫𐑉𐑋 (𐑉𐐯𐐹𐑉𐐮𐑆𐐯𐑌𐐻𐐮𐑍 /ɑ/, 𐐩 𐑂𐐯𐑉𐐮 𐐲𐑌𐐿𐐪𐑋ı𐑌 𐑂𐐵ı𐑊 𐐰𐐻 𐑄 𐐻𐐴𐑋, 𐑅𐐮𐑌𐑅 𐑄𐐮𐑅 𐐹𐑉𐐮𐑅𐐨𐐼𐑆 𐑄 𐑁𐐪𐑄ı𐑉-𐐺𐐱𐑄ı𐑉 𐑋𐐲𐑉𐐾ı𐑉), 𐐿𐐳𐐼 𐐸𐐰𐑂 𐐺𐐮𐑌 𐐼ı𐑉𐐮𐑂𐐼 𐑁𐑉𐐲𐑋 𐐒𐐯𐑌𐐾ı𐑋𐐮𐑌 𐐙𐑉𐐰𐑍𐐿𐑊𐐮𐑌𐑆 𐑁ı𐑌𐐯𐐻𐐮𐐿 𐑊𐐯𐐻ı𐑉 𐑁𐐫𐑉 /ɒ/.

𐐜 𐐹𐐯𐑉𐑆 𐐘 𐐗, 𐐃 𐐄, 𐐝 𐐠, 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐪𐑉𐑀𐑏ı𐐺𐑊𐐮 𐐡 𐐏 𐐪𐑉 𐐼𐐮𐑅𐐻𐐮𐑌𐑀𐐶𐐮𐑇𐐻 𐐺𐐴 𐑄 𐐹𐑉𐐯𐑆𐐮𐑌𐑅 vs. 𐐰𐐺𐑅𐐮𐑌𐑅 𐐲𐑂 𐐿ı𐑌𐐯𐐿𐐻ı𐑉𐑆. 𐐍 𐑊𐐳𐐿𐑅 𐑊𐐴𐐿 𐐩 𐐿ı𐑌𐐯𐐿𐐻𐐮𐐼 𐑂𐐲𐑉𐑈ı𐑌 𐐲𐑂 𐐂 𐐺𐐲𐐻 𐐮𐑆 𐐩 𐐺𐐴𐑌𐐼𐑉𐐭𐑌 𐐪𐑂 𐐂 + 𐐋, 𐑅𐐮𐑋ı𐑊ı𐑉𐑊𐐮 𐐻𐐭 𐐧 = 𐐆 + 𐐅 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐦 = 𐐉 + 𐐆. (𐐛𐐩𐑊𐐨𐑆 𐐐𐐰𐑅𐐿ı𐑊 𐑏𐑆𐐼 𐐩 𐐆 + 𐐋 𐐺𐐴𐑌𐐼𐑉𐐭𐑌 𐑁𐐫𐑉 /juw/ 𐐰𐑌𐐼 𐐮𐑌𐐮𐐿𐑅𐐹𐑊𐐮𐐿ı𐐺𐑊𐐮 𐐺𐐪𐑉𐐬𐐼 𐑄 𐐧 𐑊𐐯𐐻ı𐑉𐑁𐐫𐑉𐑋 𐑁𐐫𐑉 /oj/ - 𐑋𐐩𐑌𐐨 𐐸𐐨 𐐹𐑉ı𐑌𐐵𐑌𐑅𐐻 𐐮𐐻 /uj/?)

𐐝𐐲𐑋 𐑊𐐯𐐻ı𐑉𐑆 𐐶𐐲𐑉 𐐼𐐮𐑉𐐴𐑂𐐼 𐐺𐐴 𐑉𐐬𐐻𐐩𐑇ı𐑌 𐐲𐑂 𐐲𐑄ı𐑉 𐑊𐐯𐐻ı𐑉𐑆 - 𐐑 𐐛, 𐐓 𐐢, 𐐂 𐐚, 𐐌 𐐐, 𐐣 𐐕 - 𐐹𐑉𐐮𐑆𐐭𐑋ı𐐺𐑊𐐮 𐑁𐐫𐑉 𐑉𐐨𐑆ı𐑌𐑆 𐐲𐑂 𐐮𐐿𐐪𐑌ı𐑋𐐮 𐐮𐑌 𐐻𐐴𐐹𐑅𐐯𐐻𐐮𐑍. 

𐐎𐐲𐑌 𐐶𐐳𐐼 𐑊𐐴𐐿 𐐻𐐭 𐐼𐐮𐑉𐐴𐑂 𐐟 = /ʃ/ 𐑁𐑉𐐲𐑋 𐑄 𐐒𐐰𐐿𐐻𐑉𐐨ı𐑌 𐑇𐐬 (ϸ = /ʃ/) 𐐺𐐲𐐻 𐐲𐑌𐑁𐐫𐑉𐐽ı𐑌ı𐐻𐑊𐐮 𐑄𐐮𐑅 𐐮𐑅 𐐲𐑌𐐻𐐯𐑌ı𐐺ı𐑊.