Welcome to Lesson 7! In this session, we'll explore the character pairs for 𐑪 ('on'), 𐑨 ('ash'), 𐑝 ('vow'), 𐑢 ('woe'), and 𐑣 ('ha-ha'), all of which we introduced in our previous lesson.

Now let's look at their pairs:

• 𐑴-('oak')
• 𐑲-('ice')
• 𐑓-('fee')
• 𐑘-('yea')
• 𐑙-('hung')

First, let's look at 𐑴 ('oak') the counterpart to 𐑪 ('on'). The character 𐑴 ('oak') represents the long "o" sound, as in "oak" and "oath." Interestingly, along with 𐑦 ('if'), 𐑴 ('oak') is the only other Shavian character that looks exactly like its Latin equivalent.

Next, we explore 𐑲 ('ice'), which matches the long "i" sound found in "ice" and "eye." Although this character is officially paired with 𐑨 ('ash'), it shares both visual and pronunciation similarities with 𐑱 ('age').

Both characters sound like the name of a Latin letter—A for 𐑱 ('age') and I for 𐑲 ('ice'). To tell them apart, remember A comes before I in the Latin alphabet, just as 𐑱 ('age') opens and 𐑲 ('ice') closes—a visual cue for the normal order of opening before closing.

Moving forward, 𐑓 ('fee') represents the "f" sound, as in "fee," "from," and "form." To remember which way 𐑓 ('fee') faces compared to 𐑐 ('peep'), 𐑚 ('bib'), and 𐑝 ('vow'), think of 𐑓 ('fee') as a cash register with the drawer open toward you. Based on our left-to-right flow, things in front of you are on your right. This means the register's drawer, or the hook on 𐑓 ('fee'), points to the left so you can easily pay your fee.

Continuing, 𐑘 ('yea') typically represents the initial "y" sound in words like "yea." However, it’s crucial to remember that English words ending in "y" usually conclude with an "ee" or "e" sound, not a "ya" sound, as illustrated in the word "happy." If "happy" were spelled in Shavian using the 𐑘 ('yea') sound, it would be pronounced something like "happ-ya." However, the correct Shavian spelling, "𐑣𐑨𐑐𐑦," results in the pronunciation "happ-ee" using the 𐑦 ('if') sound.

Note: I used the phrase "it would be pronounced something like" in the previous explanation because 𐑘 ('yea') and its counterpart 𐑢 ('woe') cannot be pronounced at the end of an English word. When you encounter a word with no vowels, it becomes impossible to pronounce. Similarly, words that end with 𐑘 ('yea') and 𐑢 ('woe') are impronounceable. Because of this, you should never use 𐑘 ('yea') and 𐑢 ('woe') at the end of a word.

Our last character, 𐑙 ('hung'), is one you'll use a lot. It represents the "ng" sound at the end of words like "singing," "bringing," and nearly every word ending in "-ing." It represents sound produced nasally.

One note, unlike other pairs in Shavian, 𐑣 ("ha-ha") and 𐑙 ('hung'), do not follow the traditional voiced vs unvoiced pairing rules.

• 𐑪-('on')
• 𐑨-('ash')
• 𐑝-('vow')
• 𐑢-('woe')
• 𐑣-('ha-ha')