Complete the account of writing systems.
A system whose symbols stand for whole morphemes is ______. A system that writes consonants and leaves vowels optional is an ______. A system whose consonant signs carry an inherent vowel is an ______. English spelling is described as ______ because one spelling may have several pronunciations.
Word bank: logographic · abjad · abugida · deep · syllabic · shallow
Hints
- The second and third blanks are the consonant-centred pair.
- The last blank is the term for an inconsistent mapping.
Show the answer
A system whose symbols stand for whole morphemes is logographic. A system that writes consonants and leaves vowels optional is an abjad. A system whose consonant signs carry an inherent vowel is an abugida. English spelling is described as deep because one spelling may have several pronunciations.
The four terms cover the analytical vocabulary of the lesson. Note the fourth is about the mapping and the first three are about the unit, two independent dimensions, which is why a shallow logography and a deep alphabet are both perfectly possible.
Practise Writing Systems
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