Page:Comprehensive Volapük Grammar.djvu/11

PART I.—GRAMMATICAL FORMS.

ALPHABET.

Roman characters, and has 19 consonants, 8 vowels.

The consonants are the same as the English, but q and w are omitted. They are sounded as in English, except—

c	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	pronounced as is	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	j	in	jet.
g				g	“	get.
h				h	“	he.
j				sh	“	she.
x				gs	“	tags.
y				y	“	yes.
z				dz	“	adze.

The vowels are

a	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	pronounced as is	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	a	in	far.
e				a	“	rate.
i				ee	“	see.
o				o	“	no.
u				u	“	truth.
ä				a	“	fare.
ö				u	“	urn.
ü				u	“	impugn.

(See note 1, page 13.)

Every letter is sounded, and its sound is invariable and unaffected by associate letters. There are no diphthongs and no double consonants.

ACCENT.

Is invariably on the final syllable, but non-coalescent endings are not regarded as word-syllables.

ARTICLE.

Is not recognized in Volapük (see note 2, page 13), but the indefinite pronoun sembal (a certain) may be used, if needed lo particularize a noun; thus—