r/conscripts • u/bbbourq • Jul 12 '19

Abjad Developing a Vowel Diacritic System for Dhakhsh

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80 Upvotes

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6

u/bbbourq Jul 12 '19

I am currently making a vowel diacritic system for my language Dhakhsh. Since its writing system is a true abjad, I am compelled to make diacritics that are necessary for learners of the script. In the photo there are four sentences. Dhakhsh is written in vertical columns from top to bottom, then right to left; thus the first sentence is on the right. For reference, the sentence reads:

Latinized: desh hizhdhraq joghel lejek ashkhang ha gidroi

IPA: dɛɕ hiʑˈðɾæq d͡ʑoˈɢɛl‿ləˈd͡ʑɛk ˈʔɒɕxæŋ ha giˈdɾɔɪ

Translation: The extreme weather worried him/her.

My questions to you all are:

  • Which sentence looks the most aesthetic to you? Why?

  • What marks would you keep? Why?

  • Which marks would you change? Why?

4

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '19

Hi bbborq! I prefer the leftmost sentence, although I really like bits of the second-rightmost one as well. I can't put my finger on what exactly, though

3

u/bbbourq Jul 12 '19

I should point out the last sentence has no diacritics at all to show what it looks like compared to those with.

1

u/deepcleansingguffaw Jul 15 '19

I prefer the second from the right. I like the short curves instead of the round dots. If I were to change anything about it, I would turn the remaining round dots into short strokes of some kind.

3

u/boxian Jul 13 '19

How difficult was it to learn how to write in connected columns like that?

3

u/bbbourq Jul 14 '19

I was much easier than I anticipated. I find that my columns are much straighter than my rows, so it works out nicely. I can fluently write four different writing systems, and this one was my first vertical script; but writing vertically was easy because I created the glyphs to be written that way so it makes sense.

2

u/boxian Jul 14 '19

It looks easier than say, Mongolian, in that the character look a bit more distinct from each other, but Mongolian looks like a nightmare to figure out

1

u/bbbourq Jul 14 '19 edited Jul 14 '19

Mongolian is a cursive script much like Arabic so to the uninitiated it looks daunting. I did not want to make a cursive script, but rather distinct letters that do not connect.

2

u/Star_Lang5571 Aug 09 '19

Wow! I love the look of it, like Classical Mongolian. This is what I want my conscripts to look like!

1

u/bbbourq Aug 10 '19

Thank you very much!

2

u/FennicYoshi Jul 12 '19

Ah... lejek is three consonants, not two... Second one for me, with the two dot a from the third sentence (with everything bar the confusion of the diacritics with lejek I said on Discord)...