Independent Vowels
Independent vowels are non-diacritical characters that stand alone (i.e. without being attached to a consonant symbol) used to represent vowel phonemes occurring at the beginning of syllables. In Khmer they are called ស្រៈពេញតួ (/sraʔ peɲtuə/) which means "complete vowels". The independent vowels are used in a small number of words, mostly of Indic origin, and consequently there is some inconsistency in their use and pronunciations. However, a few words in which they occur are used quite frequently: ឥឡូវ (/ʔəjləw/ "now"), ឪពុក (/ʔəwpuk/ "father"), ឬ (/ʔrɨː/ ~ /rɨː/ "or").
| Independent vowels |
UN romanization | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ឥ | ĕ | ʔe |
| ឦ | ei | ʔəj |
| ឧ | ŏ | ʔ |
| ឨ | ||
| ឩ | ŭ | ʔu |
| ឪ | ŏu | ʔɨw |
| ឫ | rœ̆ | ʔrɨ |
| ឬ | rœ | ʔrɨː |
| ឭ | lœ̆ | ʔlɨ |
| ឮ | lœ | ʔlɨː |
| ឯ | é | ʔae; ʔɛː,ʔeː |
| ឰ | ai | ʔaj |
| ឱ, ឲ | aô, aôy | ʔaːo |
| ឳ | âu | ʔaw |
Read more about this topic: Khmer Alphabet
Famous quotes containing the words independent and/or vowels:
“Women, because of their colonial relationship to men, have to fight for their own independence. This fight for our own independence will lead to the growth and development of the revolutionary movement in this country. Only the independent woman can be truly effective in the larger revolutionary struggle.”
—Women’s Liberation Workshop, Students for a Democratic Society, Radical political/social activist organization. “Liberation of Women,” in New Left Notes (July 10, 1967)
“As no one can tell what was the Roman pronunciation, each nation makes the Latin conform, for the most part, to the rules of its own language; so that with us of the vowels only A has a peculiar sound.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)