Special Letters
Special letters represent sounds that do not fit naturally into the word-letter, individual-letter, or digraph-letter categories.
Special letters are formed using diacritical marks placed above or below a word letter.
Rainian Phonetica currently has three special letters:
| Letter | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ė | schwa | about |
| u̇ | vowel in put | put |
| ụ | vowel in soup | soup |
The Over Dot
The over dot is used for special vowel sounds that require their own character.
- ė represents the schwa sound, as in about.
- u̇ represents the vowel sound in put.
The Under Dot
The under dot is used for the vowel sound in soup, blue, and you.
- ụ represents the vowel sound in soup.
The under dot distinguishes this sound from the other two vowel sounds represented by u:
| Letter | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| u | vowel in cup | cup |
| u̇ | vowel in put | put |
| ụ | vowel in soup | soup |
Special letters are reserved for sounds that require their own character rather than being adequately represented by an existing word letter or letter combination.