After covering all the individual sounds, this part of the lesson might feel a bit repetitive. Most compound characters are combinations of the sounds and shapes of their components. Kingsley emphasized this in the first Shaw-Script newsletter, stating, "It is permissible to join any two letters if the second begins where the first ends, without an unnecessary linkstroke intervening." This rule applies to almost all compound characters.

Why do we use compound letters? They help standardize spelling across different accents. For example, American English often pronounces the 'R' at the end of words, while British English typically does not. Compound characters including an 'R' sound provide consistent spelling, regardless of accent.

The first compound character, 𐑸-(ar)e, combines 𐑭-(ah) and 𐑮-(roar).

This character helps with the trailing "r" sound in words like "car." Depending on your accent, you might say "cah" or "car." The 𐑸-(ar)e character simplifies this by providing a single spelling for both pronunciations.

Next, we explore 𐑹-(or), formed by combining 𐑷-(ah) and 𐑮-(roar).

Think of the word "drawer," as in a dresser drawer. The Shavian sequence 𐑛𐑮𐑹 captures the nuances between "draw-ah" and "draw-er."

By now, you should recognize the pattern: 𐑼-"(arr)ay" combines 𐑩-ado and 𐑮-(roar).

Consider how you pronounce "array" and "however." Do you stress the "r" at the end as in "howev-er," or does it taper off more like "howev-ah"? This character helps you understand the use of 'r' in different accents.

So far, we've seen characters representing the trailing "r" sound. Now, let’s explore the "-ian" sound with 𐑾-(Ia)n, formed by combining 𐑦-(if) and 𐑩-ado.

The word "guardian" could be pronounced "guard-(i)-an" or "guard-(eee)-an." This character simplifies the spelling while accommodating different pronunciations.

Why stop at two characters when you can use three? Adding our trailing "r" to 𐑾-(Ia)n, we get 𐑽-(ear). Look at it this way:

This distinction affects words like "beer," pronounced "be-ah" or "be-er" depending on the accent, both covered by the Shavian spelling: 𐑚𐑽.

As we near the end of our compound characters, one that does not involve the "r" sound remains: 𐑿-(yew), formed by combining 𐑘-(yea) and 𐑵-(ooze).

This character adapts to accent variations in words like "new" and "music." In American English, the 'y' sound is pronounced, as in "nyew" and "myew-zik," while British pronunciation often omits the 'y', resulting in "noo" and "moo-zik."

When examining the last two compounds, they don’t follow the usual pattern of combining simple characters to create a sound. The character 𐑺 (air) may sound like a combination of different sounds in rhotic pronunciation, but in non-rhotic dialects, 𐑺 (air) is treated as a standalone vowel sound. Read still designed it as a compound character to accommodate both dialects, ensuring the script works across different pronunciations.

Like 𐑺 (air), the character 𐑻 (err) was designed to accommodate both rhotic and non-rhotic pronunciations. In non-rhotic dialects, however, 𐑻 (err) functions as a standalone vowel sound, even though an American rhotic speaker might view it, at first glance, as a combination of characters.

Are compound characters a simple solution to the differences between rhotic and non-rhotic accents? Unfortunately, as you've seen, it’s not quite that straightforward. While many two-character combinations are fairly close in pronunciation to the sounds they represent, the idea of mapping combined characters to sounds breaks down when dealing with more complex phonemes. These sounds often stand alone in certain dialects, rather than being represented as a compound.

Don’t let compound characters overwhelm you, though. You’ll come across them in writing, but whether you use the compound forms or the individual characters, your text will still be readable. Kingsley included compounds in the Shavian alphabet to standardize the script and demonstrate its ability to handle accents and other linguistic nuances. However, he also encouraged people to spell as they speak, as long as the writing remains understandable. Standard spelling was reserved for printed materials and formal documents.