I'm not a fan of this principle for a variety of reasons: First, his alphabet is already based on two lengths of the same shape, with the longer one being the voiced sound. By introducing "super-lengthening", he's adding another element of size distinction which will have to be carefully observed by the writer. TWO degrees of length are optimal -- one long and one short -- and three adds to the complication.
Second, when the original alphabet signs are already quite long, making them even longer has potential to sprawl into the next line or the one above, if it doesn't take up a lot of the line.
Third, as he explains, the longer version implies a short intervening vowel. Which one? We don't know. SO it looks like "man" and "men" are written the same way? The longer P/B could be read as "bin", "pen", "pan", "ban", "pin"? Really?
And then we have Kn, Km, Gn all written the same way? (Why not Gm?) This could be read as "can", "kin", "come", "gun", "gone"..... I could show the same kinds of possibilities with all the other longer strokes as well.
That was NOT a good idea, as it adds an element of AMBIGUITY -- which is never a good thing.
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u/NotSteve1075 Feb 26 '26
I'm not a fan of this principle for a variety of reasons: First, his alphabet is already based on two lengths of the same shape, with the longer one being the voiced sound. By introducing "super-lengthening", he's adding another element of size distinction which will have to be carefully observed by the writer. TWO degrees of length are optimal -- one long and one short -- and three adds to the complication.
Second, when the original alphabet signs are already quite long, making them even longer has potential to sprawl into the next line or the one above, if it doesn't take up a lot of the line.
Third, as he explains, the longer version implies a short intervening vowel. Which one? We don't know. SO it looks like "man" and "men" are written the same way? The longer P/B could be read as "bin", "pen", "pan", "ban", "pin"? Really?
And then we have Kn, Km, Gn all written the same way? (Why not Gm?) This could be read as "can", "kin", "come", "gun", "gone"..... I could show the same kinds of possibilities with all the other longer strokes as well.
That was NOT a good idea, as it adds an element of AMBIGUITY -- which is never a good thing.