Alphabet Proposal for English 44 sounds

 

Current pronunciation guides describe the English language as containing approximately 44 sounds.  This chart demonstrates how a proposed alphabet reform would effectively describe the 44 English sounds using 33 letters.  The first three columns contain the 33 letters and their sounds while the last column demonstrates how the remaining sounds would be described as either consonant blends or vowel slides. In each column is the traditional pronunciation guide symbol followed by the upper and lower case proposed letters, an example word and that same word as it would be spelled in the proposed alphabet.

 

Vowels

 

ä - Aa - father - faðr

 

ô - Ээ - brought - brэt

 

u - Rr - Romeo - Romиo

 

a - Υy - rat - ryt

 

e - Ee - nephew - nefиu

 

i - Ii - Whisky - wiskи

 

ē - Ии- creature - krичr

 

u - Фф - mud - mфd

 

ō - Oo - ocean - oшen

 

oo - Юю - could - kюd

 

ōō - Uu - roof - ruf

 

Voiced Consonant Sounds

 

b - Bb - bravo - bravo

 

m - Mm - mike - maиk

 

v - Vv - victor - viktr

 

d - Dd - delta - deltф

 

l - Ll - Lima - lиmю

 

n - Nn - November - novembr

 

j - Jj - Juliet - julиet

 

th - Ðð - that - ðyt

 

z - Zz - Zulu - zulu

 

zh - Жж - measure - meжr

 

g - Gg - gulf - gфlf

 

ŋ - Ŋŋ - ring - rиŋ

 

w - Ww - want - wэnt

 

Un-Voiced Consonant Sounds

 

p - Pp - papa - papa

 

f - Ff - foxtrot - fakstrat

 

t - Tt - tango - tyŋo

 

ch - Чч - church - чrч

 

th - Θθ - thick - θik

 

s - Ss - sierra - sиere

 

sh - Шш - shake - шeиk

 

k - Kk - kilo - kиlo

 

h - Hh - hotel - hotel

Blended & Slide Sounds

 

ā - eи - ape, play, sail

.....(eиp, pleи, seиl)

ī - aи - ice, high, sky

.....(aиs, haи, skaи)

y - иe - yes, canyon, onion

.....(иes, kynиen, фnиen)

yōō - иu - cute, few, use

.....(kиut, fиu, иuz)

yoo - ию - cure, furious

.....(kиюr, fиюrифs)

oi - oи - boy, oil, royal

.....(boи, oиel, roиel)

ou - yo - cow, out, sour

.....(kyo, yot, syor)

'l - l - cattle - kytl

 

'n - n - sudden - sфdn

 

hw - hw - whisky - hwiskи

 

schwa - collapses to either

Ee, Юю, or Фф

 

       

 

Jackson, W. H. (2006). A Proposal for reforming the English language alphabet.