Zompist Bboard Again

A little thought which came to me, as thoughts tend to do: There are 20 possible digraphs of the 5 vowel letters where both letters are different. If you were told that each represents a single pure vowel phoneme (i.e. not a diphthong), what would seem to be to you the most natural interpretation of each? As an example, I associate <ae> with /æ/, although I suspect this is not unusual.

⟨ae⟩: /æ/
⟨ea⟩: /ɛ/
⟨ei⟩: /e/
⟨ie⟩: /i/
⟨ao⟩: /ɒ/
⟨oa⟩: /ɔ/
⟨ou⟩: /o/
⟨uo⟩: /o/
⟨ai⟩: /ɛ/
⟨ia⟩: /e/
⟨au⟩: /ɔ/
⟨ua⟩: /o/
⟨iu⟩: /ɨ/
⟨ui⟩: /y/
⟨eu⟩: /ø/
⟨ue⟩: /y/
⟨io⟩: /ø/
⟨oi⟩: /ø/
⟨eo⟩: /ø/
⟨oe⟩: /ø/

Edit: revised my assessment of ⟨ie⟩ and ⟨uo⟩.

I think it's kind of amusing that every one of these can appear in English spelling.

⟨ae⟩: fae /e/
⟨ea⟩: beat /i/
⟨ei⟩: freight /e/
⟨ie⟩: pie /aj/
⟨ao⟩: chaos /ejo/
⟨oa⟩: boat /o/
⟨ou⟩: loud /aw/
⟨uo⟩: fluoride /o/
⟨ai⟩: pain /e/
⟨ia⟩: anemia /iə/
⟨au⟩: applaud /ɔ/
⟨ua⟩: usual /uwə/
⟨iu⟩: opium /ijə/
⟨ui⟩: suit /u/, but build /ɪ/
⟨eu⟩: neuter /ju/
⟨ue⟩: flue /u/
⟨io⟩: lion /ajo/
⟨oi⟩: loin /oj/
⟨eo⟩: Leo /ijo/
⟨oe⟩: foe /o/

(And yes, lots of these are diphthongs or mere juxtapositions of vowels.)

<ui> has a good number of realisations in English

PRICE as in <guide>
KIT as in <guilt>
GOOSE as in <juice>
probably /j/ + GOOSE in <suit> for some people
j + GOOSE + KIT as in <intuition>
j + GOOSE + schwa as in <intuit>
GOOSE + schwa as in <ruin>
GOOSE + happY as in <tui>
(j) + GOOSE + PRICE as in <toluide>
w + PRICE as in <quite>
w + FLEECE as in <suite>
w + KIT as in <quick>
w + schwa as in <sanguine>
schwa as in <daquiri>
w + first half of NURSE as in <quirk>

Darren wrote: ↑Sat Nov 08, 2025 7:12 pm probably /j/ + GOOSE in <suit> for some people
j + GOOSE + KIT as in <intuition>
j + GOOSE + schwa as in <intuit>

These lack yods or yod-coalescence in NAE.

Darren wrote: ↑Sat Nov 08, 2025 7:12 pm (j) + GOOSE + PRICE as in <toluide>

This has a yod for me.

zompist wrote: ↑Sat Nov 08, 2025 6:08 pm I think it's kind of amusing that every one of these can appear in English spelling.

⟨ao⟩: chaos /ejo/
⟨ia⟩: anemia /iə/
⟨ua⟩: usual /uwə/
⟨iu⟩: opium /ijə/
⟨io⟩: lion /ajo/
⟨eo⟩: Leo /ijo/

Completing the set of monosyllabic values:

⟨ao⟩: dao /aw/ (+ gaol?)
⟨ia⟩: Asia /ə/ (+ piano for some speakers, but I assume this is an affectation)
⟨ua⟩: guava /wa/ (+ quart, quark etc.)
⟨iu⟩: prosciutto, jiujitsu /uw/
⟨io⟩: lion /ajo/ (+ fiord, -tion)
⟨eo⟩: George /o/

Nortaneous wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 4:24 pm ⟨ao⟩: dao /aw/ (+ gaol?)
⟨ia⟩: anemia /iə/

gaol and anemia are both bisyllabic for me. ciabatta works though.

⟨ae⟩: /æ/
⟨ea⟩: /e/, /ɑ/
⟨ei⟩: /i/, /e/
⟨ie⟩: /i/
⟨ao⟩: /ɒ/
⟨oa⟩: /o/
⟨ou⟩: /u/, /o/
⟨uo⟩: /o/
⟨ai⟩: /e/
⟨ia⟩: /e/
⟨au⟩: /o/
⟨ua⟩: /ɑ/
⟨iu⟩: /y/
⟨ui⟩: /y/
⟨eu⟩: /ɯ/, /u/
⟨ue⟩: /y/
⟨io⟩: /ø/
⟨oi⟩: /ø/
⟨eo⟩: /ɤ/, /o/
⟨oe⟩: /ø/

Darren wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 5:33 am

Nortaneous wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 4:24 pm ⟨ao⟩: dao /aw/ (+ gaol?)
⟨ia⟩: anemia /iə/

gaol and anemia are both bisyllabic for me. ciabatta works though.

missed anemia, fixed. ideally there'd be a non-schwa value that works without silly affectations or proper-noun recent loans (Chiang?)

Nortaneous wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 1:26 pm

Darren wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 5:33 am

Nortaneous wrote: ↑Sun Nov 09, 2025 4:24 pm ⟨ao⟩: dao /aw/ (+ gaol?)
⟨ia⟩: anemia /iə/

gaol and anemia are both bisyllabic for me. ciabatta works though.

missed anemia, fixed. ideally there'd be a non-schwa value that works without silly affectations or proper-noun recent loans (Chiang?)

Pennsylvania and California.

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 2:31 pm

Nortaneous wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 1:26 pm

Darren wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 5:33 am

gaol and anemia are both bisyllabic for me. ciabatta works though.

missed anemia, fixed. ideally there'd be a non-schwa value that works without silly affectations or proper-noun recent loans (Chiang?)

Pennsylvania and California.

[ˌpʰensəɫˈvɐɪ̯nəjə], [kʰæɫəˈfʊːnəjə]

Darren wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 2:47 pm

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 2:31 pm

Nortaneous wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 1:26 pm

missed anemia, fixed. ideally there'd be a non-schwa value that works without silly affectations or proper-noun recent loans (Chiang?)

Pennsylvania and California.

[ˌpʰensəɫˈvɐɪ̯nəjə], [kʰæɫəˈfʊːnəjə]

/ˌpɛnsəlˈveɪnjə/ [ˌpʰɜ̃ntsɯːˈvẽ̞ːnjə(ː)], /ˌkæləˈfɔrnjə/ [ˌkʰɛːɤ̯əˈfɔ̃ːʁ̃ˤnjə(ː)]

Really, I've never heard anyone pronounce either of these words as ending in anything other than /njə/.

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 3:28 pm

Darren wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 2:47 pm

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 2:31 pm

Pennsylvania and California.

[ˌpʰensəɫˈvɐɪ̯nəjə], [kʰæɫəˈfʊːnəjə]

/ˌpɛnsəlˈveɪnjə/ [ˌpʰɜ̃ntsɯːˈvẽ̞ːnjə(ː)], /ˌkæləˈfɔrnjə/ [ˌkʰɛːɤ̯əˈfɔ̃ːʁ̃ˤnjə(ː)]

Really, I've never heard anyone pronounce either of these words as ending in anything other than /njə/.

[ˌpʰɛ̃nt͡sl̴̩ˈvẽɪ̯̃njə] and [ˌkʰæl̴ɪˈfɔ̃ɹ̃njə], personally, although I have heard a ...[nĭjə] ending for both.

From a conlanging perspective, you could treat the second vowel as a diacritic:

i to front
u to back
a to lower and unround
o to lower and round
e to center

cell	front unr.	front rnd.	mid	back unr.	back rnd.
high	i	ui	ie	iu	u
closed	e	oi	ee	eu	o
open	ea	eo	ae	oa	oo
low	ai	ao	a	aa	au

Maybe add ia for /ɪ/ and ua for /ʊ/.
It gets dicey on the last row, I know.

zompist wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 4:56 pm From a conlanging perspective, you could treat the second vowel as a diacritic:
i to front
u to back
a to lower and unround
o to lower and round
e to center

My reading of the rubric takes me that way. I'm still working on the challenge. The system (or subsystem) described represents 20 pure vowels, using symbols composed of one or two vowels, but with no double letters.

I feel the absence of 'aa' is unnatural. (English should naturally be one's first choice of counter-examples for proposed universals.)

However, your solution has not only <aa>, but also <ee> and <oo>. You're lacking interpretations for <ai>, <ei>, <io>, <oe>, <ou>, <ue> and <uo>.

Travis B. wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 3:28 pm /ˌpɛnsəlˈveɪnjə/ [ˌpʰɜ̃ntsɯːˈvẽ̞ːnjə(ː)], /ˌkæləˈfɔrnjə/ [ˌkʰɛːɤ̯əˈfɔ̃ːʁ̃ˤnjə(ː)]

Really, I've never heard anyone pronounce either of these words as ending in anything other than /njə/.

I've only heard Americans pronounce it this way.

zompist wrote: ↑Mon Nov 10, 2025 4:56 pm From a conlanging perspective, you could treat the second vowel as a diacritic:

i to front
u to back
a to lower and unround
o to lower and round
e to center

cell	front unr.	front rnd.	mid	back unr.	back rnd.
high	i	ui	ie	iu	u
closed	e	oi	ee	eu	o
open	ea	eo	ae	oa	oo
low	ai	ao	a	aa	au

Maybe add ia for /ɪ/ and ua for /ʊ/.
It gets dicey on the last row, I know.

That's an interesting and ingenious way of spelling vowels. Thank you!