Page:Ido Exhaustive Textbook Talmey 1919.pdf/31

 PART I. ACCIDENCE.

Alphabet and Pronunciation.

1. The alphabet of Ido contains 26 letters: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z. The five vowels a, e, i, o, u are named and pronounced according to the continental pronunciation (see 'continental' in Standard Dictionary). They are neither too short nor too long and the e and o may be pronounced either closed or open (1). The names of the consonants are as follows: be, ce, de, fe, ge, he, je, ke, le, me, ne, pe, que, re, se, te, ve, we, xe, ye, ze.

2. Two apposed vowels are pronounced separately, each according to its own pronunciation, as in the combinations au, eu, ia, ie, io, ua, ue, uo. The first two are considered as consisting of one syllable or as diphthongs, the u becoming a consonant ( Grammaire Complète, p. 8, 2): Augusto, Europa (three syllables); kauzo, kaulo (two syllables). When, however, a and e are joined to u through the composition of two words, each vowel forms a syllable by itself. Thus neutila (composed of ne and utila ) consists of four syllables while neutra contains only two (2).

3. U becomes a (sort of) consonant, with the pronunciation of the English w, after q, as in qua, quik, and also after some other consonants when a vowel follows, as in guidar, linguo, Suiso (2).

4. C is pronounced always like ts in wits, tsar, g always like g in go, and s always like the s in son. J is pronounced like the French j. X may be pronounced either like ks, as in excuse, or like gz, as in example. Y is pronounced always like the y in young or like the German j. All other consonants are pronounced like the same English consonants.

Q occurs only in the combination qu which is pronounced like the same English combination in queer. The u in this combination is a quasi-consonant and can therefore never receive the accent: qua, quala, quankam (2).

W sounds like the English w. It occurs only in a few words taken from the English: wato, westo, wisto.

There are two digraphs, ch and sh, which are pronounced like the same English digraphs in chin and shine.