WHICH WRITING SYSTEM TO USE?

Let me attempt to explain the challenge I faced before significant printing or publication of any part of our NT translation could be done with confidence. This was during our first years in Africa, 1948 ff.

Every language has phonetic sounds which one reduces to phonemes which become the alphabet. And every language has a combination of phonemes that have meaning. This combination of phonemes with meaning are identified as morphemes, i.e. words or parts of words..

The burning question for me was this: Should I write the language phonemically or morpho-phonemically. Let me attempt to illustrate how these two methods of writing would differ.

In this language the basic morpheme, i. e. word for “to give” was “moch”. The following paradigm indicates the difference between the two alternative was to write the language.

Phonemic writing: Morphophonemic writing:

Mocha – I give Mocha – I give
Mochi - you give Mochi -you give
Moche - he gives Moche -he gives
Moijwa –we give Mochwa – we give
Mochu -you give (pl) Mochu - you give (pl)
Moidge – they give Mochge – they give

If I recall this correctly, to use a fancy linguistic expression, what we have here is “regressive assimilation according to point of articulation.”

In analyzing the first column, you recognize that the “w” sound caused the “ch” sound to become an “oij” sound. Similarly, the “g” sound caused the “ch” sound to become an “oid” sound.

In the second column, the spelling of the morpheme is retained. The two columns illustrate two different possible ways to write one of the previously unwritten languages.

The argument in favor of writing morpho-phonemically, is that the reader will readily identify that word and when reading, the reader will automatically make the phonetic changes reflected in phonemic column, pronouncing the word correctly.

If one were to write phonemically, the reader would have to identify the conditioned changes as illustrated in column one. Such conditioned changes occur constantly throughout a language. Reading would likely be much more jerky and slower.

Conclusion: Reading will be more rapid and smoother when the reader identifies the basic morpheme, i. e. spelling of the words. The phonetic changes will occur automatically when reading -- this rather than sounding out the words phonemically, i. e. phonetically.

I chose to write morpho-phonemically the language on which I was working as illustrated in the second column. However, I was always a bit unsure about my decision. You can hardly imagine how relieved I felt when on our first furlough, the linguists at SIL (Wycliffe) affirmed that I had done it correctly.

Many Bible translators having to first analyze a language face these same kinds of challenges. So, let us pray for them fervently. And when their translation of a NT or several books of a NT is completed, we must make an audio recording of it to be made into a Talking Bible. For this goal to be achieved, let us give generously and pray fervently and daily. Thanks be to God!

Because they need to hear,
Harvey Hoekstra – harvey@talkingbibles.org
www.talkingbibles.org

Goal: A TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY IN THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES BEFORE THIS YEAR ENDS.