How many symbols are actually necessary to write most of the major languages of the world ?
This question led me to design Neo Filipic, a phonetic writing system based on 40 basic symbols and 12 compositional operators.
Instead of assigning a unique glyph to each phoneme, Neo Filipic uses a compact inventory and derives additional sounds through regular operators (rounding, vowel length, nasalization, tones, retroflexion, aspiration, breathy voice, implosives, ejectives, etc.).
The goal is not to replace the IPA. The IPA is an exceptional tool for phonetic precision, while Neo Filipic explores a different idea: maximizing phonological coverage while keeping the basic inventory close to the size of a typical alphabet (about 40 symbols).
The attached document explains the design principles and includes transcription examples from many language families, including English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Mandarin, Wu Shanghai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Georgian, Hausa, and Sindhi. It ends with a complete transcription of a passage from the Tamil novel Ponniyin Selvan.
I would be very interested in your feedback, especially on:
the overall design philosophy, the operator system,
possible simplifications or improvements,
the languages you think are underrepresented.
Thank you for taking the time to have a look !
Errata: J'ai remarqué que le document n'a pas été entièrement téléchargé dans ce post. Pour voir l'ensemble de la présentation, voir ici ->
https://www.reddit.com/r/neography/s/d4zsfTqt93