Consonants of the Changeless Speech

Table of Changeless Speech consonants and
transliterations


(1): BH, PH, B, P, M
'BH' represents a voiced bilabial continuant, such as would be produced by trying to pronounce 'v' as in 'vat' while blowing a fly off the end of ones nose.
'PH' represents an unvoiced bilabial continuant, such as would be produced by trying to pronounce 'f' as in 'fat' while blowing a fly off the end of ones nose.
'B' represents a voiced bilabial stop, like 'b' in English, but less plosive.
'P' represents an unvoiced bilabial stop, like 'p' in English, but less plosive.
'M' represents a bilabial nasal, as in English, but can have the extended duration of a full syllable, as well as the ordinary duration of a consonant, and these different durations are indicated by different diacriticals.

(2): F
'F' represents an unvoiced labiodental continuant, like 'f' in English, but in the Changeless Speech limited to certain inflectional endings.
(Notwithstanding the total absence of any voiced labiodental continuant in the Changeless Speech that could be liken'd to the English use of 'v', the Nikonorian manuscript uses 'V' in personal names of Latin origin, such as 'Vulpecula', to represent the rounded velar or post velar semivowel that in a name native to the Changeless Speech would have been transliterated as 'W'.)

(3): DH, TH, D, T, N
'DH' represents a voiced dental continuant like 'th' in 'that'.
'TH' represents an unvoiced dental continuant like 'th' in 'thank'.
'D' represents a voiced dental stop.
Unlike the postdental 'd' heard in English, the tongue actually contacts the upper teeth.
'T' represent an unvoiced dental stop.
Unlike the postdental 't' heard in English, the tongue actually contacts the upper teeth.
'N' represents a dental nasal consonant.
Unlike the postdental 'n' heard in English, the tongue actually contacts the upper teeth.

(4): Z, S, DZ, TS
'Z' represents a voiced post dental continuant, like 'z' in 'prize'.
'S' represents an unvoiced post dental continuant, like 's' in 'sound'.
'DZ' represents a voiced post dental affricative, like 'dz' in 'adz'.
('ZD' would be represented by reversing the diacritical.)
'TS' represents an unvoiced post dental affricative, like 'ts' in 'lets'.
('ST' would be represented bt reversing the diacritical.)

(5): ZH, SH, DZH, TSH
'ZH' represents a voiced retroflex continuant, like 's' in 'measure'.
'SH' represents an unvoiced retroflex continuant, like 'sh' in 'shall'.
'DZH' represents a voiced retroflex affricative, like 'dj' in 'adjust'.
'TSH' represents an unvoiced retroflex affricative, like 'tch' in 'latch'.
Due to the use of the 'TSH' glyph to represent the sound of 'C' before a front vowel in personal names of Latin origin, it is transliterated back to 'C' in such names in the Nikonorian manuscripts.
In other positions, however, a 'C' used in a Latin name is equivalent to 'K'.

(6): GH, KH, G, K, NG
'GH' represents a voiced velar continuant, a 'g' which does not stop the breath completely, but rather can be held.
'KH' represents an unvoiced velar continuant, like 'ch' in 'loch'.
'G' represents a voiced velar stop, like 'g' in 'gold'.
'K' represents an unvoiced velar stop, like 'k' in 'king'.
'NG' represents a velar nasal, like 'ng' in 'sing'.

(7): X and related compound consonants. The unvoiced affricative compound is the only one of these worthy of note. This is transliterated as 'KSH' in the initial position but as 'X'in all other positions. Thus the initial sound in the name 'KShena' (which is derived from the Greek word for 'stranger', and rhymes with 'henna'), and the 'x' in 'Alexandrétisten' are both pronounced 'ksh'.

(8): GHw, QHw, Gw, Qw
'GHw' represents a rounded, voiced postvelar continuant, like 'w' in warm. The conversion of the Protoaryan asperated plosives to continuants in the Changeless Speech resulted in this archaic phoneme becoming identical with the rounded back semivowel. The Preservers, however, chose to preserve the distinction in writing, using the circular diacritical by itself whenever the semivowel had always been only a semivowel.
'QHw' represents a rounded, unvoiced postvelar continuant, like 'wh' in 'when'.
'Gw' represents a rounded, voiced postvelar stop, like 'gu' in 'language'.
'Qw' represents a rounded, unvoiced postvelar stop, like 'qu' in 'queen'.

(9): H, ?, '
'H' represents an unvoiced aspirate like 'h' in 'hand'. Although the glyph for this phoneme appears to have two forms that mirror each other, the second appears only as an often silent closing consonant.
A variant of this closing form without the underdot was sometimes used after the glyphs for 'BH', 'DH', 'GH', 'GHw', and 'R' to indicate the 'Katharinian purr', a voiced aspirate coärticulated as an undertone with these continuants by most of the Sovereign Mother's subjects, and resulting in a sound much like the purring of a large cat.
'?' (a reversed 'G' in the Nikonorian manuscripts) represents a sound totally foreign to the Changeless Speech, but quite common in the proper names of the WALPTREINA. This loud, voiced, gulping sound would, when articulated by a human, cause the larynx to jump quite visibly in the throat.
''' represents the laryngeal or glottal stop, which was the fate of most Protoaryan laryngeals in the Changeless Speech. It could never occur before or after another consonant.


The representation of vowels, semivowels (consonantal 'I',and 'W'), and liquids ('R',and 'L') is too complicated a matter to be described in any detail. Much of the practical usage, however, can be seen in the inscription under Sarah's Cartoon of the Regnalka.

Vowels used in transliteration are intended to be given their Latin values. Single vowels are always 'pure', and in most positions are relatively short and lax, although they can become longer and more tense when final or when accented by the use of a 'null liquid' as a 'carrier'. 'I' is used for both the high front wowel and the corresponding semivowel which is sounded like 'y' in 'yet'. 'Æ' is not a diphthong, but a pure vowel, pronounced like 'æ' in 'æroplane'. Thus the word 'læng' is pronounced like 'lang' when used as the Northumbrian form of 'long'. 'W' generally represents the rounded back semivowel, but when combined with a consonant or liquid, indicates that the consonant or liquid is to be pronounced with the lips tightly rounded. 'R' is strongly pronounced as a tonguepoint trill in all positions, whether simple, rounded ('WR'), or aspirated ('RH'). Apart from the use of 'H' and 'W' as modifiers of other consonants, there are no silent letters represented in transliteration.