FLOSS (Fonemic Latin-One Spelling System) is a mostly
phonemic writing system for
American English. It was derived from the FLEWSY dictionary
notation (see this page), which was itself
derived from MCM. This
document describes version 2.0 of FLOSS, current as of 7/11/2004.
FLOSS
uses the following symbols. Most symbols represent a single
English phoneme. A few symbols are more complicated, and are
described in notes. Each lower case letter represents
a sound which is extremely common in traditional English spelling for
that letter. The remaining symbols were chosen to be mnemonic.
Symbol |
FLOSS example |
Traditional spelling |
SAMPA equivalent |
Notes |
a |
ask |
ask |
{ |
|
b |
big |
big |
b |
|
d |
dim |
dim |
d |
|
e |
end |
end |
E |
|
ê |
karpêt |
carpet |
I or @ or 1 |
indistinct i, between /I/
and /@/ |
f |
fat |
fat |
f |
|
g |
gun |
gun |
g |
|
h |
hat |
hat |
h |
|
i |
if |
if |
I |
|
j |
jet |
jet |
dZ |
|
k |
kid |
kid |
k |
|
m |
man |
man |
m |
|
n |
net |
net |
n |
|
o |
hot |
hot |
A: |
o is used for "short
o". See A |
ø |
Lemøn |
lemon |
@ |
|
p |
pan |
pan |
p |
|
r |
rat |
rat |
r |
|
s |
so |
so |
s |
|
t |
tip |
tip |
t |
|
u |
sun |
sun |
V |
|
v |
van |
van |
v |
|
w |
win |
win |
w |
|
µ |
µispR |
whisper |
hw |
|
y |
yes |
yes |
j |
|
ý |
suný |
sunny |
i |
ý represents unstressed /i/. For /i:/, see I |
z |
zip |
zip |
z |
|
A |
brAvo |
bravo |
A: |
A is used for "broad
a". See o |
C |
Cin CeLo |
chin cello |
tS |
|
D |
Den |
then |
D |
|
þ |
pasþ fiLþ |
passed filled |
d or t |
past tense inflection |
E |
vEn |
vein |
eI |
|
G |
siG |
sing |
N |
|
H |
uHhuH |
uh-huh |
~ |
indicates nasalization |
I |
kIwI |
kiwi |
i: |
I represents stressed
/i:/.
For unstressed /i/, see ý |
J |
bEJ .JAk |
beige Jacques |
Z |
|
L |
Lip |
lip |
l |
|
O |
gO |
go |
oU |
|
Ø |
LØg |
log |
O: |
|
Q |
kQn |
coin |
OI |
|
R |
undR |
under |
@r |
spelled ør when in
different parts of a compound word |
& |
b&d |
bird |
3` |
|
$ |
kat$ kan$ |
cats cans |
s or z |
plural inflection |
T |
Tik |
thick |
T |
|
U |
trU |
true |
u:, u |
|
V |
sVt |
soot |
U |
|
W |
tWn |
town |
aU |
|
X |
Xip aGXøs |
ship anxious |
S |
|
Y |
tYp |
type |
aI |
The following letter combinations are interpreted as follows:
Symbol |
FLOSS example |
Traditional Spelling |
ar |
marý |
marry |
er |
wer |
wear |
ir |
mirR |
mirror |
uL |
kuLR |
color |
Ar |
hArd |
hard |
OL |
sOL |
soul |
Ør |
stØr |
store |
VL |
wVL |
wool |
Vr |
pVr |
poor |
FLOSS differs from MCM in the following ways. The MCM symbols o,
O and 3 are changed to O, Ø and ø respectively. The
symbols o as distinct from A and ý as distinct from I are
introduced. The MCM symbols l, M and N are removed, and the
meaning of L is changed. The
symbols µ, þ, ê, H and $ are added. The sounds
of
µ /hw/ and ar /{r/ are normally represented rather than being
reduced to w and er. Details of the representations of foreign
sounds are different.
The previous version of FLOSS used the symbols € and ¥
instead of ê and ý. These representations were
changed because in many fonts the currency symbols did not integrate
well with the other symbols. Also, the lower case l was replaced
by the upper case L, because in many fonts it is difficult or
impossible to distinguish an upper-case I from a lower-case l.
Because FLOSS is based on the FLEWSY notation of FEWL, the
pronunciations listed in FEWL are taken as standard. Note that
the symbol ê represents not a specific sound, but rather a vowel
which
is pronounced differently by different speakers and is usually
difficult to identify clearly.
Although FLOSS is intended primarily as a mechanism for indicating the
pronunciation of individual words (a so-called pronunciation-guide spelling), it
could be used to transcribe real texts. When using it for this
purpose, the following additional rules are needed:
FLOSS was devised for American English. It is
probably
unsuitable for use with British English, and any attempt to use it in
that way voids the warranty. If you do wish to use it to represent
British English, the symbol o should be used only for the British short
"o"
sound, and the &
symbol should be understood to represent a non-rhotic vowel. Note
that
some of the examples in the tables are pronounced differently in
British English. For speakers of British English, the SAMPA
equivalents should be used as the definition of the sounds.
A few English words use sounds from French and German. The
symbol K is used to represent either a soft or a hard German ch.
The vowels ã and õ are used to represent the French nasal
a and o, as in kontrøtã
(traditional spelling
"contretemps") and kõsyerJ
(traditional spelling "concierge"). Similarly, an umlauted vowel
is used for the non-English vowels of French and German, as in .götø ("Goethe") and .kLer dø .Lün ("Clair
de
Lune").
Here are two samples of FLOSS, the first the traditional
first paragraph of H.G. Wells' "The Star" (see here),
and the second a transcription of a pop song by Dire Straits.
(Truth to tell, song lyrics are my usual transcription material.)
.it wuz
on Dø f&st dE uv Dø nU yir Dat Dø
ønWnsmønt wuz mEd, ØLmOst
sYmøLtEnýøsLý frum TrI
øbz&vøtØrý$, Dat Dø mOXøn
uv
Dø pLanêt
.neptUn, Dø WtRmOst uv ØL Dø pLanêt$ Dat
µIL RWnd Dø sun, had bikum
verý iratik. .ø ritArdEXøn in its
vøLosêtý had bin søspektêþ in
.disembR. .Den ø fEnt, rimOt spek uv LYt wuz
diskuvRþ in Dø rIjøn
uv Dø pRt&bþ pLanêt. .at f&st Dis did
not
kØz ený verý
grEt
iksYtmønt. .sYøntifik pIpøL, hWevR, fWnd
Dø inteLêjøns rimArkøbøL inuf,
Ivøn bifØr it bikEm nOn Dat Dø nU bodý wuz
rapêdLý grOiG LArjR and
brYtR, and Dat its mOXøn wuz kwYt difRønt frum Dø
ØrdRLý progrøs uv Dø
pLanêt$.
Because this example is a pop song, I've omitted capitalization marks
at the start of lines and also, in the style of rock lyrics everywhere,
left out most of the punctuation. I have however indicated
capitalization for proper names.
wØrniG
LYt$ Ar fLaXiG dWn at .kwoLêtý .køntrOL
sumbodý TrU ø spanR and DE TrU him in Dø hOL
Derz rUmR$ in Dø LOdiG bE and aGgR in Dø tWn
sumbodI bLU ø µisøL and Dø wØLz kEm
dWn
Derz ø mItiG in Dø bØrdrUm, Der trYiG tU trEs
Dø smeL
Derz LIkiG in Dø woXrUm, Derz ø snIk in
.p&søneL
Sumµer in Dø korêdR, sumwun wuz h&d tU snIz
"gVdnês mI, kVd Dis bI industrýøL dizIz?"
Dø kertEkR wuz krUsêfYþ fØr sLIpiG at hiz pOst
rifyUziG tU bI pasêfYþ, its him DE bLEm Dø mOst
Dø woCdØg got rEbýz, Dø
fØrmønz
got Dø fLI$
evrýwunz køns&nþ øbWt
industrýøL
dizIz
Derz panik on Dø swiCbØrd, tuG$ Ar tYd in not$
sum kum Wt in simpøTý, sum kum Wt in spot$
sum bLEm Dø manijmønt, sum Dø impLQI$
and evrýbodý nO$ its Dø industrýøL
dizIz
Dø w&k fØrs iz disgustêþ, dWn$ tUL$,
wØk$
inøsøns iz injRþ, ikspirIøns just tøk$
evrýwun sIk$ damijê$, evrýwun øgrI$
"DIz Ar kLasik simptøm$ uv ø monêterý skwIz"
on :ITV and :BBC DE tØk øbWt Dø k&s
fêLosøfý iz yUsLês,
TýoLøjý iz w&s
histRý bQL$ OvR, Derz øn ekønomiks frIz
sOsýoLøjist$ invent w&d$ Dat mIn
industrýøL
dizIz
.doktR .pArkønsøn dikLerþ "Ym not sRprYzþ tU
sI yU hir
yUv got smOkR$ kØf frum smOkiG, brUR$ drUp frum driGkiG bir
Y dOnt nO hW yU kEm tU get Dø .betý .dEvês nI$
but w&st uv ØL yuG man, yUv got industrýøL
dizIz"
hI rOt mI ø prøskripXøn, hI sed "yU Ar
dipresþ
Ym gLad yU kEm tU sI mI tU get Dis Øf y& Cest
kum bak and sI mI LEtR, nekst pEXønt pLIz
send in ønuDR viktøm uv industrýøL dizIz"
Y gO dWn tU .spIkR$ .kØrnR, Ym TundRstruk
DE got frI spIC, tVrist$, pøLIs in truk$
tU men sE Der .jIzøs, wun uv Dem must bI rØG
DE got ø prOtest siGR, hIz siGiG ø prOtest sØG
hI sez "DE wont tU hav ø wØr sO DE kan kIp us on Wr nI$
DE wont tU hav ø wØr sO DE kan kIp Der faktRý$
DE wont tU hav ø wØr tU stop us bYiG .japønIz
DE wont tU hav ø wØr tU stop industrýøL
dizIz
Der pQntiG Wt Dø enømý tU kIp us def and bLYnd
DE wont tU sap y& enRjý, inkArsREt y& mYnd
giv yU rUL .brêtanyø, gasý bir, pEj TrI
tU wIk$ in .espAnyø and .sundE strip tIz"
mInµYL, Dø f&st .jIzøs sez, "YL kyVr it sUn
øboLiX .mundE mØrniG and .frYdE aftRnUn"
Dø uDR wunz Wt on huGgR strYk, hIz dYiG bY dêgrI$
hW kum .jIzøs get$ industrýøL dizIz?
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