Core syllables vs. moraic writing
It is generally accepted that the units of writing systems represent categories found in spoken language; in phonographic writing,
these categories traditionally include the syllable and segment, which correspond to syllabic and alphabetic systems. But it has
been claimed that some or most “syllabaries” are actually based on moras, well known from phonological theory as units of syllable
weight. I argue that apparent moraic systems are in fact built on signs that stand for core CV syllables, and consequently that
moras do not appear to play a central role in any writing system.
Article outline
- 1.The moraic claim
- 1.1Syllables and moras
- 1.2Core syllables
- 2.Syllabic and moraic systems
- 2.1True syllabaries
- 2.2Vai syllabary
- 2.3Ethiopic alphasyllabary
- 3.Japanese syllabic writing
- 4.Thaana alphabet
- 5.Conclusion
- Notes
-
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► pp. 1510 ff.

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