One Approach to a Universal Alphabet, Revised

Human speech is limited by our anatomy to the sounds capable of utterance. Languages illustrate this.

Recorded documents consist of words written in character sets, or alphabets, reflecting traditions of thousands of years of practiced scribing in the context of each culture’s then-current consensus. Alphabets of existing cultures today bear only slight resemblance to the original scripts; and only if those forms are known.

Attempts have been made to identify an oral and written proto-language from which all others descended. But that backward search is not what this article is about.

Another recent pursuit recognizes the similarities in human thought in most of the northern Eurasian languages. Esperanto, for example, attempts to make documents and speech easily understandable among most current cultures. But this attempt at taming today’s Babel is not what this article is about either.

The new wave of international science coupled with the brute force of the internet, both predominantly in American English, have made that language probably the most accessible in the world today. But English is still at best regional, and at most a second language to the majority of the world. So, this article isn’t about making that language a world language either.

Although these recent attempts have merit, they do not recognize the reality of human beings’ resistance to change. So any proposed change has to be minimal and has to make sense to everyone hearing about it.

Any change must also be fundamental in order to improve communication on a global level.

So the real concern here is to provide a fundamental change in how we all think about language that will at the same time be minimal in impacting the structures and organizations that currently exist. No small task.

Chas. T. Luthy’s book, “The Universal Alphabet”, was self-described as:

“. . . This alphabet is based upon the correct analysis of the human speech sounds, the correct analysis of the Roman script letters . . . It contains an appropriate letter for each of the forty-three different speech sounds in the human voice so that the alphabet is adapted for the use of all nations . . .”

Mr. Luthy’s book was unknown to me when I first wrote on this topic, in June 2008. Although he went in a different direction than me with his “universal alphabet”, in this revision I will be referring to the 43 human speech sounds he has written about.

I have proposed a new alphabet that can be used by all cultures. This new alphabet will consist of pictographs as characters. The new characters will illustrate the outward positions of the lips and teeth, as the speech sounds are produced. Just like current languages, this alphabet will be limited to sounds, and therefore meanings, in context. But it will reflect each current language’s sounds, because it uses the sounds humans speak.

I will demonstrate this new alphabet with existing European characters, like those you’re reading now. But the alphabet could also be shown using a new font suited to it.

I’ll begin with the 43 sounds Mr. Luthy has referred to. But citing the redundancies of the sounds themselves and the mouth parts and face positions used to produce those sounds, I’ll reduce the number of characters to eight. In other words, this new universal alphabet will only use eight characters. Differing regional and national colloquialisms and current context will effect word pronunciations, as they always have.

Let me show you how I do this.

In each language, characters signify sounds. In Chinese, pictograms represent sounds and words. In English we have the letters:

AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz

There is no way of knowing which letter signifies what sound unless you’re taught, with much repetition.

Along with the difference between character shape and sound, comes some redundancy. For example, both “B” and “P” make similar sounds. And since “X” is a combination of the “K” and “S” sounds, it will be left off our new list.

Chas. T. Luthy lists 43 sounds of human speech. They are seventeen vowel sounds and 26 consonants, as follows:

* Four “a” sounds, as in made, fad, ask, far
* Three “o” sounds, as in not, mode, ton
* Three “e” sounds, as in need, pet, pert
* An “i” sound, as in pit
* Five “u” sounds, as in rude, put, burn, grun, view

1. A “b” sound as in lobe
2. A “ch” sound as in fetch
3. A “kh” sound as in back
4. A “d” sound as in feed
5. An “f” sound as in fat
6. A “g” sound as in gut
7. A “gh” sound as in tog
8. An “h” sound as in hot
9. A “j” sound as in age
10. A “k” sound as in kin
11. An “l” sound as in veil
12. An “m” sound as in boom
13. An “n” sound as in bean
14. Two “ng” sounds as in long, and monkey
15. A “p” sound as in pat
16. An “r” sound as in bar
17. An “s” sound as in sit
18. An “sh” sound as in shun
19. A “t” sound as in ten
20. A “th” sound as in thanks
21. A “dh” sound as in lathe
22. A “v” sound as in eve
23. A “w” sound as in wet
24. A “y” sound as in yet
25. A “zh” sound as in rouge
26. A “z” sound as in haze

Considering the similarity of sounds, we can reduce the number of sounds above.

* Of the four “a” sounds, the “a” sound in made is really a diphthong of two “e” sounds, as in pet, and need. Fad and ask use “a” sounds that are too similar to list as two. The “a” sound in far is similar to the “o” sound in not. These give us one distinct “a” sound, the short “a” sound, as in fad and ask.
* The three “e” sounds are those in need, pet, pert. The long e in need and the short e in pet are unique. The e sound in pert is a u sound. The “y” sound, as in yet, is similar to the vowel combination, or diphthong, formed from “e” and “a” sounds.
* The “i” sound in pit is distinct.
* The three “o” sounds are those in not, mode, and ton. The short and long o sounds, in not and mode, are distinct. The o sound in ton is a u sound.
* Of the five “u” sounds, as in rude, put, burn, grun, and view, the long “u” sound in rude is unique. The short u sound in burn is like the e in pert and the o in ton. The u sounds in put, grun and view are diphthongs of the long u and the short i, the long e and long u sounds, respectively. The “w” sound, as in wet, is similar to the diphthong formed from the long u sound and the sound of whichever vowel follows the “w”. This leaves unique “u” sounds, the long and the short.

These ideas give us a total of eight (8) vowel sounds: the short “a”, the long and short “e” sounds, the short “i” sound, the long and short o sounds, and the long and short u sounds.

1. The “p” sound, as in pat, is similar to the “b” sound.
2. The “j” sound, as in jam, is similar to the g in age, which is also similar to the “ch” sound.
3. The “k” sound, as in kin, is similar to the “kh” sound in lock.
4. The “d” sound is unique.
5. The “v” sound, as in eve, is similar to the “f” sound.
6. The “gh” sound, as in tog, is similar to the hard “g” sound.
7. The “h” sound is unique.
8. The “l” sound is distinct.
9. The “m” sound
10. The “n” sound
11. The “ng” sound
12. The “r” sound
13. The “s” sound
14. The “zh” sound, as in rouge, is similar to the “sh” sound.
15. The “t” sound
16. The “dh” sound, as in lathe, is similar to the “th” sound.
17. The “z” sound

So we 17 distinct consonant sounds to the eight (8) vowels.

The parts of the human mouth used, lips, teeth and tongue, and the way the face looks, to make several of these sounds, are the same for several sounds and alphabets or characters representing those sounds. Since they are the same, we can further reduce the number of letters or characters we would need in our universal alphabet. Any differences in sounds can be continued by context and colloquialisms.

* This process gives us the same mouth positions for the similar soft vowel sounds in words like “pat”, “pet”, “pit”, “pot”, and “putt”, and the soft consonant sounds “r” and “h”. One character can represent all these sounds, like the upper case letter “O”, signifying a wide open mouth.
* The long “e” sound, like in the word “need”, requires another character, for a partly closed mouth.
* The long “o” and long “u” sounds are made with the lips nearly closed. This requires another character.

Now we can use three characters for all the vowel sounds, plus “r” and “h”. All other vowel sounds are diphthongs using the sounds listed above.

Continuing this method with the rest of the consonants gives us the following:

* The “b”, “m”, and “p” sounds use the same mouth parts and positions. But the “b” and “p” sounds are aspirated, and the “m” sound isn’t. So we’ll need one character for those three, and use an accent mark for the aspirated “b” and “p”.
* The “ch” sound is similar to the “j” sound in jam and the g sound in age, are similar to the “ch” sound. The “d”, “t”, “dh” and “th” use the same mouth parts and positions. These sounds are aspirated. The “l” and “n” sounds are also made with the same parts and the face looks the same. But they aren’t aspirated. So we’ll use one more character for all these. But we’ll add an accent mark for the aspirated sounds.
* The “kh” sound uses the same mouth parts as the “k” sound, and the “g”, “gh” and “ng” sounds are similar to the “kh” sound. One more character.
* The “f” sound is similar to the “v” sound. One more character.
* The “s” sound and the “z” sound are similar. The “sh” and “zh” sounds are made with the same parts and the face looks the same. One last character.

So we now have three (3) vowel sounds and five (5) plain and two (2) aspirated consonant sounds to represent with ten distinct new characters.

These sounds can be represented with characters forming a ten letter alphabet. We can use the current European alphabet type-fonts for these characters. Or we can make a new font which has new characters assigned to each alphabetic key on a standard keyboard.

Using existing European fonts, and keeping letter use to a minimum to avoid confusion with existing letters, we’d list our alphabet emoticon-style, sideways on each line of text, like the trite and tired little smiley face:

;-)

* I’ve already suggested one of these new characters, the upper case “O” for the soft vowel sounds and “h” and “r”.
* The long “e” sound, like in the word “need”, could be represented by parentheses, (), signifying a partially open mouth.
* The long “o” and “u” sounds could be represented by the lower case “o” signifying puckered lips.

Remembering these are sideways, or emoticon-style characters, we continue through the consonants:

* The “b”, “m”, and “p” sounds use the same mouth parts and positions. But we’ll use two similar characters for them: the vertical line character alone, |, for the “m” sound, and with the accent mark, thus `|, for the aspirated “b” and “p” sounds.
* The “ch”, “j”, “d”, “t”, “dh”, “th”, “l” and “n” sounds all get one character that signifies the upper teeth that show when they are pronounced. We’ll use the “3” character for “l” and “n” and the “accented 3” for aspirated the rest, thus: 3 and `3.

* The “kh”, “k”, “g”, “gh” and “ng” sounds are similar and use a partially open mouth. But these sounds are also aspired. So we’ll use the parentheses with an accent to signify the aspiration and to differentiate it from our character for the hard “e” sound, thus: `()
* For the “f” and “v” sounds we’ll use the “3” character to signify the teeth and the left parenthesis for the lower lip, thus: 3(
* We’ll use the brackets back to back, “][”, for the “s”, “z”, “sh” and “zh” sounds, to signify upper and lower teeth which work with the tongue to make these sounds.

So our new alphabet is:

O for the soft vowels and “r” and “h”
() for the long “e” sound
o for the long “o” and “u” sounds
| for “m”
`| for “b” and “p”
`3 for “ch”, “j”, “d”, “t”, “dh”, and “th” sounds
3 for “l” and “n” sounds
`() for “kh”, “k”, “g”, “gh” and “ng” sounds
3( for the “f” and “v” sounds
][ for the “s”, “z”, “sh” and “zh” sounds

Using our new ten character alphabet to spell my own last name, instead of the seven letters in “NIELSEN” we use five:

3()3][3

Obviously at first glance, this is not as easy to read as the system we’re used to, and reading right now. But with an understanding of this new system and a little practice, it could become easier to learn and use than our current alphabet/character systems.

What do you think?

Free Eating in the Pacific Northwest

Be warned--this article is L O N G !

This book lists food plants of the northwestern United States, and southwestern Canada. Most are not commonly thought of as food. Yet all are edible.

Originally copyrighted and published in 1991, hardcopies can still be found in the reference sections of several public libraries, including the branches of the North Olympic Library System (http://www.nols.org/).

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the copyright holder. Please address all inquiries to: nilthchi@gmail.com

Special Note: Due to errors in plant identification by the untrained, no liability is assumed from the use of information presented here.


Contents

Introduction
Definitions
Pteridophyta
Spermatophyta, Pinophyta, Pinopsida
Spermatophyta, Magnoliophyta, Liliopsida
Spermatophyta, Magnoliophyta, Magnoliopsida
Bibliography


Introduction

What is edible? Edible might mean non-poisonous. What's the difference between something edible and food? Food nourishes the eater.

This book lists food plants of the northwestern United States, and southwestern Canada. All of which have been used as food.

Be sure to properly identify each one. A few excellent descriptive works are contained in the bibliography.

Seed-bearing plants, or Spermatophyta, are listed here. These are separated into divisions, classes, families, genera, and species. Divisions and subdivisions end with "-phyta". Classes are suffixed "-opsida". Families have "-aceae" endings. Family and genus names are listed alphabetically.

Of the spore-bearing plants (Pteridophyta), some ferns and horsetails are included. However, mushrooms are not included; too many poisonous mushrooms resemble edible ones. Seaweeds are likewise not included.

Some of the plants taste very good without any preparation. Some taste better with it. Try them all. Make your own recipes. You may be surprised at all the "free eating".


Definitions

bulb an underground bud with roots and a short, scaly stem, like a lily or an onion
cambium the layer of tissue between the bark and wood of woody plants
corm a bulb-like, underground stem of certain plants, like the crocus
pith the soft, spongy tissue in the center of certain plant stems
rennet a liquid used to curdle milk
rhizome a horizontal, rootlike stem, sending out roots and leafy shoots
shoot new growth of the season
tuber a short, thickened, fleshy part of an underground stem, like a potato


Pteridophyta (Spore bearing plants)

Equisetaceae
Equisetum--Horsetail, Scouring Rush: shoot peeled, eaten raw or cooked (E. arvense, E. fluviatile, E. hyemale, E. laevigatum, E. pratense, E. telmateia)

Polypodiaceae
Athyrium--Lady Fern: rhizome cooked and peeled (A. felix-femina)
Dryopteris--Wood Fern: rhizome cooked and peeled (D. austriaca)
Polystichum--Sword Fern: rhizome cooked and peeled (P. minutum)
Pteridium—Bracken: rhizome cooked and peeled (P. aquilinum)


Spermatophyta (Seed bearing plants)
Pinophyta (Cone bearing plants)
Pinopsida

Cupressaceae
Juniperus—Juniper: fruit cooked for spice (J. communis, J. scopulorum, J. occidentalis)

Pinaceae
Picea—Spruce: shoot any preparation (P. sitchensis)
Pinus—Pine: seed (P. contorta, P. ponderosa, P. monticola, P. albicaulis)

Taxaceae
Taxus—Yew: cooked red, fleshy seed-cup (aril) (All other parts are poisonous!) (T. brevifolia)


Spermatophyta
Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)
Liliopsida (Monocotyledons; one "first leaf")

Alismataceae
Alisma—Water-plantain: dried or boiled tuber and leaf (A. plantago-aquatica)
Sagittaria—Wapato, Arrowhead: cooked tuber (May cause allergic reaction.) (S. latifolia)

Araceae
Acorus—Sweet Flag: boiled root (A. calamus)

Butomaceae
Butomus—Flowering-rush: baked rhizome (B. umbellatus)

Cyperaceae
Cyperus—Flat-sedge, Nut-grass: cooked tuber (C. aristatus, C. esculentus)
Eriophorum—Cotton-grass: root cooked (E. polystachion)
Scirpus—Bulrush: any part cooked (S. acutus, S. maritimus, S. validus)

Gramineae—The True Grain Family. Any grass seed can be used as grain. Make sure the seeds you eat are really seeds. Ergot, a fungus which lives on grasses, resembles powder. It is sometimes formed in the shape and place of a seed. Ergot is poisonous.
Agropyron—Quackgrass, Wheat-grass: dried and ground root, boiled down leaf (A. repens, A. triticeum and A. semicostatum)
Alopecurus—Foxtail: seed (A. aequilis)
Anthoxanthum—Vernal-grass: seed (A. odoratum)
Avena—Oat: seed (A. sativa, A. sativa nuda?, A. fatua)
Beckmannia—Slough-grass: boiled seed (B. syzigachne)
Bromus—Brome: seed (B. carinatus, B. ciliatus, B. japonicus, B. rigidus)
Cinna—Woodreed: seed (C. latifolia)
Cynodon—Bermuda Grass: cooked root (C. dactylon)
Dactylis—Orchard-grass: seed (D. glomerata)
Deschampsia—Hairgrass: seed (D. caespitosa)
Digitaria—Crabgrass: seed (D. sanguinalis)
Echinochloa—Barnyard-grass: seed (E. crusgalli, E. colonum)
Eleusine—Goosegrass: seed, boiled young top (E. indica)
Elymus—Wildrye: seed (E. glaucus, E. canadensis, E. triticoides, E. mollis)
Eragrostis—Lovegrass: seed (E. cilianensis, E. pilosa)
Festuca—Fescue: seed (F. ovina)
Glyceria—Mannagrass: seed (G. borealis, G. occidentalis)
Hierochloe—Sweetgrass: seed (H. odorata)
Hordeum—Barley (Spicules on the awn can cut) seed (H. vulgare, H. murinum, H. jubatum)
Koeleria—Prairie Junegrass: seed (K. cristata)
Lolium—Ryegrass: boiled seed (L. temulentum)
Oryzopsis—Ricegrass: seed (O. hymenoides, O. asperifolia)
Panicum—Millet, Witchgrass: seed (P. miliaceum, P. capillare)
Phalaris—Canarygrass: seed (P. canariensis)
Phragmites—Reed: boiled shoot, rhizome and seed (P. communis)
Poa—Bluegrass: plant boiled (P. pratensis)
Puccinellia—Alkaligrass: seed (P. nuttalliana)
Secale—Rye: seed (S. cereale)
Setaria—Bristlegrass: seed (S. viridis)
Sorghum—Johnsongrass: seed (S. halapense)
Sporobolus—Dropseed: seed (S. cryptandrus)
Trisetum—Trisetum: seed (T. spicatum)
Triticum—Wheat: seed (T. aestivum)
Zea—Corn: cooked young seed (Z. mays)
Zizania—Wild Rice: seed (Z. aquatica)

Juncaceae
Luzula—Woodrush: ground seed (L. campestris)

Liliaceae
Allium—Chives, Garlic, Onion (May cause allergic reaction): bulb and young stem, any preparation (A. nigrum, A. fistulosum, A. schoenoprasum, A. vineale, A. geyeri, A. nevadense, A. cernuum, A. unifolium, A. validum, A. bisceptrum, A. crenulatum, A. amplectens, A. acuminatum, A. textile)
Asparagus—Asparagus (May cause allergic reaction): cooked shoot (A. officinalis)
Brodiaea—Brodiaea: bulb, any preparation (B. coronaria, B. howellii, B. hyacinthina, B. congesta)
Calochortus—Mariposa Tulip, Sego Lily: bulb cooked (C. gunnisonii, C. elegans, C. macrocarpus, C. nuttallii, C. tolmiei)
Camassia—Camas: cooked bulb (C. quamash, C. leichtlinii)
Disporum—Fairy-bell: yellow fruit (D. trachycarpum)
Erythronium—Fawn-lily: cooked bulb (E. grandiflorum)
Fritillaria—Fritillary: bulb, any preparation (F. camschatcensis, F. lanceolata, F. pudica)
Hemerocaulis—Daylily: bulb, flower, bud, and root cooked (H. fulva)
Leucocrinum—Sand Lily: root cooked (L. montanum)
Lilium—Lily: bulb cooked (L. philadelphicum, L. columbianum)
Streptopus—Twisted-stalk: young root and fruit cooked (S. amplexifolius)

Orchidaceae
Calypso—Fairy-slipper: cooked tuber (C. bulbosa)
Habenaria—Bog-orchid: cooked young top (H. sparsiflora)

Potamogetonaceae
Potamogeton—Pondweed: boiled root (P. nutans)

Sparganiaceae
Sparganium—Bur-reed: cooked tuber and root (S. eurycarpum)

Typhaceae
Typha—Cat-tail: shoot, any preparation, rhizome boiled and ground, "tail"-boiled (T. latifolia)

Zosteraceae
Phyllospadix—Surf-grass: cooked root (P. scouleri)
Zostera—Eel-grass: cooked rhizome (Z. marina)


Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons; two "first leaves")

Aceraceae
Acer—Maple: sap and peeled seed (A. circinatum, A. macrophyllum, A. negundo)

Aizoaceae
Mollugo—Carpetweed: cooked top (M. verticillata)
Tetragonia—New Zealand Spinach: leaf and stem, any preparation (T. tetragonioides)

Amaranthaceae
Amaranthus—Amaranth, Pigweed: young top boiled, seed ground (A. powellii, A. retroflexus, A. graecizans, A. albus)

Anacardiaceae
Rhus—Sumac: mashed and steeped fruit (R. glabra)

Araliaceae
Aralia—Wild Sarsaparilla: fruit (A. nudicaulis)
Oplopanax—Devil’s Club: young stem and fruit peeled (OF COURSE!) and cooked (O. horridum)

Aristolochiaceae
Asarum—Wild Ginger: boiled leaf and root (A. caudatum)

Asclepiadaceae
Asclepias—Milkweed (Roots cause diarrhea): leaf, shoot, young pod and bud boiled; flower, any preparation (A. speciosa)

Balsaminaceae
Impatiens—Balsam, Touch-Me-Not: boiled shoot (I. capensis, I. noli-tangere)

Berberidaceae
Berberis—Oregongrape: fruit (B. repens, B. aquifolium, B. nervosa)

Betulaceae
Alnus—Alder: cambium and bud (A. rubra)
Betula—Birch: cambium and sap (B. pendula, B. papyrifera)
Corylus—Hazel: nut (C. cornuta)

Boraginaceae
Amsinckia—Fiddleneck: shoot and seed, any preparation (A. lycopsoides, A. tessellata)
Anchusa—Bugloss: top boiled (A. officinalis)
Borago—Borage (Rough hairs can hurt): young leaf, any preparation (B. officinalis)
Cynoglossum—Hound’s-tongue: cooked root (C. grande)
Lithospermum—Gromwell: young leaf and root boiled (L. arvense, L. incisum)
Symphytum—Comfrey (Rough hairs can hurt): young leaf and shoot boiled (S. officinale)

Cactaceae (Barbs can hurt)
Coryphantha—Coryphantha: peeled fruit (C. vivipara, C. missouriensis)
Opuntia—Cholla: roasted and peeled pad and fruit (O. fragilis, O. polyacantha)

Callitrichaceae
Callitriche—Water Starwort: boiled top (C. verna)

Campanulaceae
Campanula—Harebell, Bellflower: stem cooked (C. lasiocarpa, C. rapunculoides, C. persicifolia)

Capparidaceae
Cleome—Rocky Mountain Bee Plant: boiled leaf and flower (C. serrulata)

Caprifoliaceae
Lonicera—Honeysuckle: fruit (L. involucrata, L. caerulea)
Sambucus—Blue Elderberry (Leaf and stem poisonous!): cooked flowers, fruit (S. caerulea)
Symphoricarpus—Snowberry: fruit, any preparation (S. albus)
Viburnum—Viburnum: fruit (V. edule)

Caryophyllaceae
Agrostemma—Corncockle (Seed poisonous!): young leaf, any preparation (A. githago)
Arenaria—Sandwort: young leaf boiled (A. serpyllifolia)
Cerastium—Chickweed: young top boiled (C. vulgatum, C. semidecandrum)
Honkenya—Sea Purslane: cooked young leaf (H. peploides)
Silene—Campion: boiled young top (S. cucubalus, S. acaulis)
Spergula—Cornspurry: ground seed, cooked young top and leaf (S. arvensis)
Stellaria—Chickweed: young top boiled (S. media)

Ceratophyllaceae
Ceratophyllum—Hornwort: leaf cooked (C. demersum)

Chenopodiaceae
Atriplex—Orache, Saltbush, Shadscale: boiled young tops and seed (A. patula, A. canescens, A. hortensis, A. powellii, A. nuttallii, A. argentea, A. confertifolia, A. truncata)
Beta—Beet, Chard, Mangel, Sugar Beet: cooked root and top (B. vulgaris)
Chenopodium—Lambsquarter, Goosefoot, Pigweed (Seed oil overdose poisonous!): seed roasted and ground, leaf boiled (C.fremontii, C. urbicum, C. botrys, C. album, C. hybridum, C. murale, C. glaucum, C. rubrum, C. leptophyllum, C. ambrosoides)
Kochia—Summer Cypress: seed, boiled young top (K. scoparia)
Monolepsis—Patata: boiled seed, fried root (M. nuttaliana)
Salicornia—Glasswort: cooked seed, young top, any preparation (S. europaea)
Salsola—Tumbleweed: shoot, 2-3" high, any preparation (S. kali)
Spinacia—Spinach (May cause allergic reaction): cooked top (S. oleracea)
Suaeda—Seablite: soft parts, any preparation (S. maritima)

Compositae
Achillea—Yarrow, Milfoil (May cause allergic reaction on skin.): boiled leaf (A. nobilis, A. millefolium)
Agoseris—Agoseris: cooked leaf (A. aurantiaca)
Anaphalis—Pearly-everlasting: young leaf boiled and rinsed (A. margaritacea)
Arctium—Burdock (Rough hairs can hurt): young leaf, stem and root boiled (A. minus, A. lappa)
Artemisia—Mugwort, Sagebrush, Wormwood: young top and seed cooked as spice (A. stelleriana, A. biennis, A. tridentata, A. vulgaris, A. michauxiana, A. frigida, A. ludoviciana, A. dracunculus, A. tripartita, A. absinthium)
Balsamorhiza—Balsamroot: root cooked (B. sagittata, B. incana, B. deltoidea)
Bellis—Daisy: leaf, any preparation (B. perennis)
Bidens—Beggars-tick: young top boiled (B. tripartita)
Carduus—Thistle: pith boiled in salted water (C. nutans)
Carthamus—Safflower: seed oil, cooked seed, fruit, young top, and leaf (C. tinctorius)
Chondrilla—Gum-Succory: plant cooked (C. juncea)
Chrysanthemum—Costmary (May cause allergic reaction.): young top and flowers cooked as spice (C. balsamita, C. parthenium, C. leucanthemum)
Cichorium—Chicory, Endive: blanched leaf, any preparation (C. intybus, C. endivium)
Cirsium—Thistle: pith and root cooked, also used as rennet (C. arvense, C. hookerianum, C. edule, C. undulatum)
Cnicus—Blessed-thistle: spice (C. benedictus)
Conyza—Horseweed: boiled shoot (C. canadensis)
Crepis—Hawksbeard: young top and leaf boiled (C. tectorum, C. runcinata)
Erechtites—Burnweed: shoots any preparation (E. hieracifolia)
Erigeron—Fleabane (May cause allergic reaction.): young leafy shoot boiled (E. annuus, E. acris)
Galinsoga—Quickweed: young leaf cooked (G. ciliata)
Gnaphalium—Cudweed: leaf cooked (G. luteo-album)
Helianthus—Sunflower: seed and seed oil, and cooked tubers (H. annuus, H. tuberosus, H. maximilianii, H. petiolaris, H. rigidus)
Hieracium—Hawkweed: shoots cooked (H. umbellatum)
Hymenopappus—Columbia Cut-leaf: cooked root (H. filifolius)
Hypochaeris—Cats-ear: boiled top (H. radicata)
Inula—Elecampane: root used as spice (I. helenium)
Lactuca—Lettuce: top, any preparation (L. canadensis, L. serriola, L. saligna)
Lapsana—Lapsana, Nipplewort: young top, any preparation (L. apogonoides, L. communis)
Layia—Layia: seed (L. glandulosa)
Liatris—Liatris: corm cooked (L. punctata)
Madia—Tarweed: seed and seed oil (M. glomerata, M. sativa, M. elegans)
Matricaria—Wild Chamomile: flower used as spice (M. chamomilla)
Microseris—Microseris: root, any preparation (M. nutans)
Onopordum—Thistle: bud and shoot boiled (O. acanthium)
Petasites—Coltsfoot: boiled young top (P. frigidus)
Solidago—Goldenrod: cooked leaf and seed (S. canadensis, S. missouriensis)
Sonchus—Milk-thistle, Sow-thistle: boiled young top (S. arvensis, S. asper, S. oleraceus)
Tanacetum—Tansy: leaf used as spice (T. vulgare)
Taraxacum—Dandelion: young leaf, flower, seed cooked (T. officinale)
Tragopogon—Salsify, Vegetable Oyster: root and shoot cooked (T. pratensis, T. porrifolius)
Tussilago—Coltsfoot: leaf, root cooked (T. farfara)

Cornaceae
Cornus—Dogwood: cooked fruit (C. canadensis, C. stolonifera)

Crassulaceae
Sedum—Stonecrop: cooked flower and flowerstem (S. lanceolata)

Cruciferae
Alliaria—Garlic Mustard: boiled top (A. officinalis)
Arabidopsis—Thale Cress: young top boiled (A. thaliana)
Arabis—Rockcress, Towermustard: young leaf boiled and rinsed (A. hirsuta, A. glabra)
Barbarea—Wintercress: boiled top (B. orthoceras, B. vulgaris, B. verna)
Brassica—Mustard: young top and seed (B. nigra, B. juncea, B. oleracea, B. campestris, B. hirta, B. kaber)
Cakile—Searocket: dried and ground root, leaf, any preparation (C. edentula, C. maritima)
Camelina—Falseflax: seed oil (C. sativa)
Capsella—Shepherd’s Purse: plant, any preparation (C. bursa-pastoris)
Cardamine—Bittercress: top, any preparation (C. pensylvanica)
Cardaria—Hoary Pepperwort: leaf and shoot, any preparation (C. draba)
Caulanthus—Wild Cabbage: boiled young top, seed ground and boiled (C. crassicaulis)
Chorispora—Blue Mustard: boiled leaf (C. tenella)
Cochlearia—Scurvygrass: boiled leaf (C. officinalis)
Conringia—Hare’s Ear Mustard: seed oil (C. orientalis)
Coronopus—Wartcress: top, any preparation (C. didymus)
Crambe—Sea-Kale: boiled leaf (C. maritima)
Descurainia—Flixweed (Possibly poisonous!): young leaf boiled (D. sophia)
Draba—Woods Draba: boiled young top (D. nemerosa)
Eruca—Garden-rocket: leaf boiled (E. sativa)
Isatis—Dyer’s Woad: leaf soaked and boiled (I. tinctoria)
Lepidium—Peppergrass: top, any preparation, root cooked as spice (L. sativum, L. latifolium, L. nitidum, L. virginicum)
Lunaria—Honesty, Money Plant: root peeled and cooked, seed used as spice (L. annua)
Raphanus—Charlock, Daikon, Radish: any part, any preparation (R. sativus, R. raphanistrum)
Rorippa—Cress, Horseradish, Yellowcress: young top cooked, grated root (R. obtusa, R. sylvestris, R. armoracia, R. islandica, R. nasturtium-aquatica, R. curvisiliqua)
Sisymbrium—Hedge Mustard: plant, any preparation (S. officinale)
Thlaspi—Fanweed: cooked seed and young leaf (T. arvense)

Elaeagnaceae
Elaeagnus—Russian Olive, Silverberry: fruit (E. angustifolia, E. commutata)
Shepherdia—Buffalo-berry: fruit (S. canadensis)

Empetraceae
Empetrum—Crowberry: cooked fruit (E. nigrum)

Ericaceae (Leaf poisonous!)
Arbutus—Madrona: fruit (A. menziesii)
Arctostaphylos—Bearberry, Kinnikinnik, Manzanita: cooked fruit (A. alpina, A. uva-ursi, A. patula, A. nevadensis, A. pungens)
Gaultheria—Salal, Snowberry, Wintergreen: cooked fruit (G. humifusa, G. hispidula, G. shallon)
Hypopitys—Pinesap: boiled top (H. monotropa)
Menziesia—Fool’s Huckleberry: fruit, any preparation (M. ferruginea)
Monotropa—Indian-pipe: plant, any preparation (M. uniflora)
Pyrola—Woodnymph: fruit (P. uniflora)
Vaccinium—Bilberry, Blueberry, Cranberry, Huckleberry: fruit (V. alaskaense, V. deliciosum, V. uliginosum, V. macrocarpon, V. myrtillus, V. caespitosum, V. ovatum, V. scoparium, V. ovalifolium, V. parvifolium, V. membranaceum, V. oxycoccus)

Fagaceae
Castanopsis—Golden Chinquapin: fruit (C. chrysophylla)
Quercus—Garry Oak: seed (acorn) boiled or roasted (Q. garryana) (Leaf and stem poisonous!)

Gentianaceae
Frasera—Giant Frasera: cooked root (F. speciosa)

Geraniaceae
Erodium—Filaree: young leaf, any preparation (E. cicutarium)
Geranium—Cut-leaf Geranium: root (G. dissectum)

Grossulariaceae
Ribes—Currants, Gooseberries (Some won't fruit well in cold areas.): cooked fruit (R. montigenum, R. triste, R. americanum, R. divaricatum, R. nigrum, R. sativum, R. velutinum, R. odoratum, R. aureum, R. lobbii, R. hendersonii, R. irriguum, R. klamathense, R. howellii, R. setosum, R. hudsonianum, R. oxyacanthoides, R. menziesii, R. sanguineum, R. cruentum, R. niveum, R. watsonianum, R. viscosissimum, R. bracteosum, R. lacustre, R. laxiflorum, R. cognatum, R. cereum, R. inerme, R. wolfii)

Hippuridaceae
Hippuris—Mare’s-tail: young leaf cooked (H. vulgaris)

Hydrophyllaceae
Hydrophyllum—Waterleaf: leaf, any preparation, root cooked (H. occidentale)

Labiatae
Agastache—Nettle-leaf Horse-mint: seed cooked (A. urticifolia)
Dracocephalum—American Dragonhead: seed (D. parviflorum)
Glecoma—Gill-over-the-ground: boiled young leaf (G. hederacea)
Hedeoma—Drummond’s Pennyroyal: flowering top used as spice (H. drummondii)
Lamium—Dead-nettle: young leaf, any preparation (L. amplexicaule, L. purpureum)
Lycopus—Bugleweed: cooked tubers, underground stems (L. uniflorus, L. asper)
Marrubium—Horehound: top used as spice (M. vulgare)
Melissa—Bee Balm: leaf used as spice (M. officinalis)
Mentha—Mint: top as spice (M. rotundifolia, M. citrata, M. arvensis, M. pulegium, M. piperita, M. spicata)
Monarda—Oswego Tea, Bergamot: boiled tops (M. didyma, M. fistulosa)
Nepeta—Catnip: leaf used as spice (N. cataria)
Origanum—Wild Marjoram: top used as spice (O. vulgare)
Salvia—Garden Sage: leaf used as spice (S. officinalis)
Thymus—Thyme: leaf used as spice (T. serpyllum)

Leguminosae
Astragalus—Milk-vetch (Possibly poisonous!): root, any preparation (A. canadensis, A. aboriginum)
Glycyrrhiza—American Licorice: root (G. lepidota)
Hedysarum—Hedysarum (Seed poisonous!): cooked root (H. alpinum, H. boreale)
Lathyrus—Peavine, Vetchling (Seed possibly poisonous!): pod, young top, seed and tuber cooked (L. ochroleucus, L. tuberosus, L. latifolius, L. japonicus, L. palustris, L. aphaca)
Lupinus—Lupine (Possibly poisonous!): roasted leaf and root (L. affinis, L. littoralis)
Medicago—Alfalfa, Lucerne, Medic: cooked seed, flower, and young top (M. sativa, M. lupulina, M. hispida)
Melilotus—Sweet Clover: young top, root and seed cooked (M. alba, M. officinalis)
Petalostemon—Prairie-clover: root raw (P. purpureum, P. candidum)
Pisum—Peas: seed, pod (P. sativum)
Psoralea—Breadroot: root peeled and cooked (P. esculenta)
Trifolium—Clover, Tare: cooked young top and seed (T. cyathiferum, T. repens, T. macraei, T. pratense, T. tridentatum, T. gracilentum, T. microcephalum, T. wormskjoldii, T. variegatum)
Vicia—Vetch: cooked seed and young top (V. americana, V. cracca, V. sativa, V. faba—This species has been found to cause genetically linked hepatitis in those of Mediterranean ancestry, V. gigantea, V. hirsuta, V. tetrasperma, V. villosa)

Linaceae
Linum—Flax (May cause allergic reaction.): seed and seed oil (L. usitatissimum)

Loasaceae
Mentzelia—Mentzelia: seed parched and ground (M. albicaulis)

Lythraceae
Lythrum—Loosestrife: boiled shoot (L. salicaria)

Malvaceae
Hibiscus—Flower-of-an-Hour: young top cooked (H. trionum)
Malva—Cheeseweed, Mallow: boiled top, green fruit and seed (M. parviflora, M. sylvestris, M. neglecta, M. moschata)

Menyanthaceae
Menyanthes—Buckbean: root boiled or dried and ground (M. trifoliata)

Moraceae
Morus—Mulberry: ripe fruit (M. alba)

Myricaceae
Myrica—Wax Myrtle, Sweet Gale: cooked fruit and leaf (M. californica, M. gale)

Nyctaginaceae
Abronia—Abronia, Sandverbena: ground root (A. fragrans, A. latifolia)

Nymphaeaceae
Brasenia—Water-shield: young leaf, any preparation (B. schreberi)
Nuphar—Spatterdock: roasted seed (N. polysepalum)
Nymphaea—Water-lily: rhizome, tuber and bud cooked (N. tetragona, N. odorata)

Onagraceae
Boisduvalia—Spike-primrose: ground and cooked seed (B. densiflora)
Clarkia—Godetia: seed cooked (C. purpurea)
Epilobium—Fireweed, Willow-herb: boiled shoot (E. angustifolium, E. latifolium, E. palustre)

Orobanchaceae
Boschniakia—Vancouver Ground-cone: boiled root (B. hookeri)
Orobanche—Broomrape: underground stem cooked (O. californica, O. fasciculata, O. ludoviciana)

Oxalidaceae
Oxalis—Wood Sorrel: plant, any preparation (O. corniculata, O. stricta)

Paeoniaceae
Paeonia—Brown’s Peony: licorice-flavored root (P. brownii)

Papaveraceae
Eschscholzia—California Poppy: cooked leaf (E. californica)
Papaver—Poppy: seed (P. somniferum, P. rhoeas)

Plantaginaceae
Plantago—Plantain: young top boiled (P. major, P. lanceolata, P. maritima)

Polygonaceae
Oxyria—Mountain Sorrel: cooked leaf (O. digyna)
Polygonum—Knotweed (May cause allergic reaction.): young top boiled, seed ground (P. bistortoides, P. douglasii, P. persicaria, P. cuspidatum, P. aviculare, P. hydropiper, P. amphibium, P. lapathifolium, P. majus)
Rumex—Dock, Sorrel (May cause allergic reaction.): cooked young leaf (R. obtusifolius, R. crispus, R. acetosa, R. maritimus, R. acetosella, R. occidentalis)

Portulacaceae
Calandrinia—Red Maids: top and seed, any preparation (C. ciliata)
Claytonia—Springbeauty: root cooked (C. megarhiza, C. lanceolata)
Lewisia—Lewisia, Bitterroot: root cooked (L. pygmaea, L. rediviva, L. columbiana)
Montia—Candyflower, Montia, Miner's Lettuce, Chickweed: leaf, any preparation (M. sibirica, M. parvifolia, M. perfoliata, M. fontana)
Portulaca—Purslane: boiled top (P. oleracea)

Primulaceae
Anagallis—Scarlet Pimpernel: young top boiled (A. arvensis)
Dodecatheon—Henderson’s Shooting-star: roasted root and leaf (D. hendersonii)
Glaux—Saltwort: shoot cooked (G. maritima)
Primula—Primrose (May cause allergic reaction.): leaf, any preparation (P. officinalis and P. vulgaris)

Ranunculaceae
Coptis—Threeleaved Goldthread: cooked top (C. trifolia)
Nigella—Love-in-a-Mist: spice (N. damascena)

Rhamnaceae
Ceanothus—Deerbrush: seed boiled (C. integerrimus)

Rosaceae
Amelanchier—Western Serviceberry: fruit (A. alnifolia)
Aruncus—Sylvan Goatsbeard: shoots boiled (A. sylvester)
Crataegus—Hawthorn: fruit (C. douglasii, C. columbiana, C. monogyna and C. oxyacantha)
Duchesnea—Indian Strawberry: fruit (D. indica)
Fragaria—Strawberry: fruit (F. virginiana, F. chiloensis, F. vesca)
Geum—Yellow Avens: young leaf boiled (G. aleppicum)
Holodiscus—Ocean-spray: fruit (H. discolor, H. dumosus)
Oemleria—Indian Plum: fruit (O. cerasiformis)
Potentilla—Silverweed: root cooked (P. anserina)
Prunus—Plum, Cherry (Seed and leaf poisonous!): cooked fruit (P. spinosa, P. pensylvanica, P. emarginata, P. virginiana, P. mahaleb, P. domestica, P. cerasus, P. avium, P. subcordata and P. americana)
Pyrus—Crabapple, Pear, Apple: fruit (P. malus, P. communis, P. fusca)
Rosa—Rose: cooked fruit (R. arkansana, R. gymnocarpa, R. pisocarpa, R. canina, R. nutkana, R. acicularis, R. rugosa, R. eglanteria, R. woodsii)
Rubus—Bramble, Blackberry, Raspberry: fruit (R. bartonianus, R. leucodermis, R. chamaemorus, R. lasiococcus, R. pubescens, R. vestitus, R. laciniatus, R. pedatus, R. discolor, R. macrophyllus, R. acaulis, R. nigerrimus, R. ursinus, R. idaeus, R. spectabilis, R. nivalis, R. parviflorus)
Sanguisorba—Burnet: young leaf and bud, any preparation (S. officinalis, S. minor)
Sorbus—Mountain-ash, Rowan: cooked fruit (S. scopulina, S. aucaparia, S. sitchensis)

Rubiaceae
Asperula—Sweet Woodruff: young top used as spice (A. odorata)
Galium—Bedstraw, Cleavers: shoot and seed cooked, juice as rennet (G. aparine, G. verum)

Salicaceae
Populus—Quaking Aspen: cambium and sap (P. tremuloides)

Santalaceae
Comandra—False Toadflax: nut-like fruit (C. umbellata)

Saxifragaceae
Saxifraga—Dotted Saxifrage: leaf, any preparation (S. punctata)

Scrophulariaceae
Cymbalaria—Ivy-leaved Toadflax: leaf raw (C. muralis)
Mazus—Japanese Mazus: young leaf boiled (M. japonicus)
Mimulus—Monkey-flower: leaf raw (M. guttatus)
Pedicularis—Lousewort: cooked root (P. langsdorfii, P. racemosa)
Veronica—American Brooklime: tops, any preparation (V. americana)

Simaroubaceae
Ailanthus—Tree-of-Heaven: young leaf boiled (A. altissima)

Solanaceae (Green parts poisonous!)
Physalis—Ground-cherry: cooked fruit (P. longifolia, P. pubescens)
Solanum—Nightshade: Black Nightshade; cooked black RIPE fruit (S. nigrum); Potato; cooked tuber (S. tuberosum)

Ulmaceae
Celtis—Hackberry: cooked fruit (C. reticulata)

Umbelliferae
Angelica—Wild Celery: stem and leaf used as spice (A. lucida)
Carum—Caraway: any top part used as spice (C. carvi)
Daucus—Carrot: root, any preparation (D. pusillus, D. carota)
Foeniculum—Fennel: top and seed used as spice (F. vulgare)
Heracleum—Cow-parsnip: cooked root, shoot, flower (H. lanatum)
Hydrocotyle—Marsh-pennywort: leaf cooked (H. ranunculoides)
Lomatium—Lomatium: root dried and ground (L. canbyi, L. farinosum, L. cous, L. foeniculaceum, L. dissectum, L. geyeri, L. macrocarpum, L. triternatum, L. nudicaule, L. utriculatum, L. ambiguum)
Musineon—Leafy Musineon: root cooked (M. divaricatum)
Pastinaca—Parsnip: root, any preparation (P. sativa)
Petroselinum—Parsley: top garnish (P. sp.)

Urticaceae
Urtica—Stinging Nettle (Poisonous leaf hairs; harvest with gloves.): young top boiled (U. dioica)

Valerianaceae
Valerianella—Lamb’s Lettuce: leaf, any preparation (V. locusta)

Violaceae
Viola—Pioneer Violet: young top, any preparation (V. glabella)

Vitaceae
Vitis—Grape: fruit and leaf cooked (V. vinifera, V. riparia)

Zygophyllaceae
Peganum—Peganum: seed spice (P. harmala)


Bibliography

“Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated Manual”, by C. Leo Hitchcock and Arthur Cronquist, University of Washington Press, Seattle, 1973.

“AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants”, by Kenneth F. Lampe, American Medical Association, Chicago, 1985.

“Tanaka’s Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World”, by Tyozaburo Tanaka, Keigaku Publishing Co., Tokyo, 1976.

“Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers To Know in Washington”, by C. P. Lyons, J. M. Dent and Sons (Canada) Limited, Toronto, 1977.

One Approach to a Universal Alphabet

Human speech has always been limited by anatomy to the sounds capable of utterance. Languages illustrate this.

Recorded documents consist of words written in character sets, or alphabets, reflecting traditions of thousands of years of practiced scribing in the context of each culture’s then-current consensus. Alphabets of existing cultures today bear only slight resemblance to the original scripts; and only if those forms are known.

Relatively recent attempts have been made to identify a proto-language from which all others descended. But that backward search is not what this article is about.

Another recent pursuit recognizes the similarities in human thought in most of the northern Eurasian languages. Esperanto attempts to make documents and speech easily understandable among most current cultures. But that attempt at taming today’s Babel is not what this article is about either.

The new wave of international science coupled with the brute force of the internet, both predominantly in American English, have made that language probably the most accessible in the world today. But English is still at best regional, and at most a second language to the majority of the world. So, this article isn’t about making that language a world language either.

Although these recent attempts have merit, they do not recognize the reality of human beings’ resistance to change. So any proposed change has to be minimal and has to make sense to everyone hearing about it.

Any change must also be fundamental in order to improve communication on a global level.

So the real concern here is to provide a fundamental change in how we all think about language, that will at the same time be minimal in impacting the structures and organizations that currently exist.

I propose a new alphabet that can be used by all cultures. This new alphabet will consist of pictographs as characters. The new characters will illustrate the outward positions of the lips, tongue and teeth, as sounds are produced. Just like current languages, this alphabet will be limited to sounds, and therefore meanings, in context. But it will reflect each current language’s sounds.

Let me show how this will be done.

In each language, characters signify sounds. In Chinese, pictograms represent sounds and words. In English we have the letters:

AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz

There is no way of knowing which letter signifies what sound unless you’re taught, with much repetition.

Along with the difference between character shape and sound, comes some superfluousness. For example, both “B” and “P” make similar sounds. And since “X” is a combination of the “K” and “S” sounds, it will be left off our new list. In fact, if you eliminated the redundancies in this alphabet you would reduce the 26 letters to 15, thus:

A
B for B and P
K for C, G, K, and Q
D for D, J, T, and Th
E
F for F and V
H
I for I and Y
L
M
N
O
R
S for S and Z
U for U and W

We could write the vowels “A”, “E”, and “I” as the letter “O”, and the vowels “O” and “U” as the letter “o”, based on how open the mouth is when pronouncing them. With pronunciation further based on context and locality, the alphabet could be reduced from 26 letters to 12:

B
K
D
F
H
L
M
N
O
R
S
o

Now, using the positions of lips, tongue and teeth as a guide, as we did above for the vowel sounds, the new alphabet could be illustrated using current fonts. These new characters would portray the mouth in speech from a sideways view reminiscent of emoticons. An emoticon is a series of characters representing a specific mood; like the colon, dash and closing parentheses characters representing a smiling face on its side, :-).

If this alphabet became widely used, fonts could be created which illustrate the mouth positions better.

All vowels are made with the mouth open. Vowels “A”, “E”, and “I” are sounded with a wide open mouth. They can be indicated by the letter “O”. Vowels “O” and “U”, are sounded with a less open mouth, and can be signified by the letter “o”.

“B” and “P” sounds are made by producing an audible puff of breath from tight lips. The “i” character would remind one of those light lips.

The hard “K” sound of consonants “C”, “G”, “K”, and “Q” can be illustrated with an open mouth and tongue shown at the back of the mouth. Using the “(” character for the upper lip, the “)” character for the lower lip, and the “” character for the tongue, all in emoticon style, that hard “K” sound would look like this: “()”, but without the quotation marks.

The similar hard and soft sounds that the letters “D”, “J”, “T”, and “Th” make, with the tongue above and behind the upper teeth, could be shown as “.3”. The number “3” is used for the upper teeth. The period, “.”, signifies the aspiration occurring when these sounds are uttered. The new character illustrates the tongue above and behind the upper teeth.

The “F” and “V” sounds could be illustrated as “3)”, with the lower lip shown in contact with the upper teeth.

“H” could be shown as open lips, like “()”.

“L”, with tongue placement like “D”, but the tongue is slightly “rolled” in this case. This can be illustrated as “>3”.

“M” can be shown by the character “” alone, since the “M” sound is made with the lips together.

“N”, also with tongue placement like “D”, can be illustrated as “3”.

“R”, has tongue placement like “K”, but the tongue is “rolled” with outside edges touching the teeth and above middle area, can be shown as “(>)

“S” and “Z”, with tongue behind the lower teeth, can be shown as “E”, with “E” signifying the lower teeth.

Thus we have all the sounds in American English shown with characters that look like the mouth parts that are used to make them.

As suggested above, this method can be used for all languages, to make a universal alphabet, so anyone in the world can read in any language. So let’s try it now.

First, we now have twelve new characters for all the sounds in American English. They are:
· O for A, E, and I
· o for O and U
· i for B and P
· () for C, G, K, and Q
· .3 for D, J, T, and Th
· 3) for F and V
· () for H
· >3 for L
· for M
· 3 for N
· (>) for R
· E for S, and Z

Since these letters are written using existing fonts, they have to be illustrated sideways, emoticon style. So, we’ll have to employ a kind of Chinese way of reading them. That is, we’ll have to read them on their side, but left to right, which from the side, would be top to bottom, to see how the mouth changes shape to make each sound. Using current fonts, we have to rotate the page 90 degrees clockwise, to read top to bottom, from left to right. For example, if I were to write my last name, NIELSEN, in this format it would look like this:

3,O,O,>3,E,O,3

The comma used above is to separate the characters.

Our new characters are readable, and make more sense since they show how the parts of the mouth are used in speech. But as you can see, this would take some practice. There are also superfluous vowels; the two “O’s” signifying “I” and the first “E”. Losing the redundant vowel character the word NIELSEN could be expressed as:

3,O,>3,E,O,3

With new fonts created to make each character assigned to one key, words in this new alphabet could also take up less space; just as the seven-letter word NIELSEN, would become equivalent to a six-letter representation.

What are your thoughts on this topic?