Editing Deseret alphabet (section)

== Alphabet ==
Although the Deseret alphabet has [[letter case]], usually the only difference between the minuscule and majuscule forms is that the majuscule forms are larger.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
! Glyph        !! Name    !! IPAc-en|
|rowspan="11"| 
! Glyph        !! Name    !! IPAc-en|
|rowspan="11"| 
! Glyph        !! Name    !! IPAc-en|
|rowspan="11"| 
! Glyph        !! Name    !! IPAc-en|
|-
| <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐀 𐐨</span> [[File:Deseret capital long I.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small long I.svg|25px]] || Long I  || {{IPAc-en|iː}} || 𐐁 𐐩 [[File:Deseret capital long E.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small long E.svg|25px]] || Long E   || {{IPAc-en|eɪ}} || 𐐂 𐐪 [[File:Deseret capital long A.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small long A.svg|25px]] || Long A  || {{IPAc-en|ɑː}} || 𐐃 𐐫 [[File:Deseret capital long Ah.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small long Ah.svg|25px]] || Long Ah  || {{IPAc-en|ɔː}}
|-
| <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐄 𐐬</span> [[File:Deseret capital long O.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small long O.svg|25px]] || Long O  || {{IPAc-en|oʊ}} || 𐐅 𐐭 [[File:Deseret capital long Oo.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small long Oo.svg|25px]] || Long Oo  || {{IPAc-en|uː}} || 𐐆 𐐮 [[File:Deseret capital short I.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small short I.svg|25px]] || Short I || {{IPAc-en|ɪ}} || 𐐇 𐐯 [[File:Deseret capital short E.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small short E.svg|25px]] || Short E  || {{IPAc-en|ɛ}}
|-
| 𐐈 𐐰 [[File:Deseret capital short A.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small short A.svg|25px]] || Short A || {{IPAc-en|æ}} || 𐐉 𐐱 [[File:Deseret capital short Ah.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small short Ah.svg|25px]] || Short Ah || {{IPAc-en|ɒ}} || 𐐊 𐐲 [[File:Deseret capital short O.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small short O.svg|25px]] || Short O || {{IPAc-en|ʌ}} || 𐐋 𐐳 [[File:Deseret capital short Oo.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small short Oo.svg|25px]] || Short Oo || {{IPAc-en|ʊ}}
|-
| 𐐌 𐐴 [[File:Deseret capital Ay.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Ay.svg|25px]] || Ay      || {{IPAc-en|aɪ}} || 𐐍 𐐵 [[File:Deseret capital Ow.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Ow.svg|25px]] || Ow       || {{IPAc-en|aʊ}} || 𐐎 𐐶 [[File:Deseret capital Wu.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Wu.svg|25px]] || Wu      || {{IPAc-en|w}} || 𐐏 𐐷 [[File:Deseret capital Yee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Yee.svg|25px]] || Yee      || {{IPAc-en|j}}
|-
| 𐐐 𐐸 [[File:Deseret capital H.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small H.svg|25px]] || H       || {{IPAc-en|h}} || 𐐑 𐐹 [[File:Deseret capital Pee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Pee.svg|25px]] || Pee      || {{IPAc-en|p}} || 𐐒 𐐺 [[File:Deseret capital Bee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Bee.svg|25px]] || Bee     || {{IPAc-en|b}} || 𐐓 𐐻 [[File:Deseret capital Tee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Tee.svg|25px]] || Tee      || {{IPAc-en|t}}
|-
| 𐐔 𐐼 [[File:Deseret capital Dee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Dee.svg|25px]] || Dee     || {{IPAc-en|d}} || 𐐕 𐐽 [[File:Deseret capital Chee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Chee.svg|25px]] || Chee     || {{IPAc-en|tʃ}} || 𐐖 𐐾 [[File:Deseret capital Jee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Jee.svg|25px]] || Jee     || {{IPAc-en|dʒ}} || 𐐗 𐐿 [[File:Deseret capital Kay.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Kay.svg|25px]] || Kay      || {{IPAc-en|k}}
|-
| 𐐘 𐑀 [[File:Deseret capital Gay.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Gay.svg|25px]] || Gay     || {{IPAc-en|ɡ}} || 𐐙 𐑁 [[File:Deseret capital Ef.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Ef.svg|25px]] || Ef       || {{IPAc-en|f}} || 𐐚 𐑂 [[File:Deseret capital Vee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Vee.svg|25px]] || Vee     || {{IPAc-en|v}} || 𐐛 𐑃 [[File:Deseret capital Eth.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Eth.svg|25px]] || Eth      || {{IPAc-en|θ}}
|-
| 𐐜 𐑄 [[File:Deseret capital Thee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Thee.svg|25px]] || Thee    || {{IPAc-en|ð}} || 𐐝 𐑅 [[File:Deseret capital Es.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Es.svg|25px]] || Es       || {{IPAc-en|s}} || 𐐞 𐑆 [[File:Deseret capital Zee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Zee.svg|25px]] || Zee     || {{IPAc-en|z}} || 𐐟 𐑇 [[File:Deseret capital Esh.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Esh.svg|25px]] || Esh      || {{IPAc-en|ʃ}}
|-
| 𐐠 𐑈 [[File:Deseret capital Zhee.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Zhee.svg|25px]] || Zhee    || {{IPAc-en|ʒ}} || 𐐡 𐑉 [[File:Deseret capital Er.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Er.svg|25px]] || Er       || {{IPAc-en|r}} || 𐐢 𐑊 [[File:Deseret capital El.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small El.svg|25px]] || El      || {{IPAc-en|l}} || 𐐣 𐑋 [[File:Deseret capital Em.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Em.svg|25px]] || Em       || {{IPAc-en|m}}
|-
| 𐐤 𐑌 [[File:Deseret capital En.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small En.svg|25px]] || En      || {{IPAc-en|n}}
|| <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐥 𐑍</span> [[File:Deseret capital Eng.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Eng.svg|25px]] || Eng      || {{IPAc-en|ŋ}}
|style="background-color:#CCCCCC"| <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐦 𐑎</span> [[File:Deseret capital Oi.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Oi.svg|25px]] ||style="background-color:#CCCCCC"| Oi[[#notpart|*]]      ||style="background-color:#CCCCCC"| {{IPAc-en|ɔɪ}}
|style="background-color:#CCCCCC"| <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐧 𐑏</span> [[File:Deseret capital Ew.svg|25px]][[File:Deseret small Ew.svg|25px]] ||style="background-color:#CCCCCC"| Ew[[#notpart|*]]       ||style="background-color:#CCCCCC"| {{IPAc-en|j|uː}}
|-
|colspan=15|{{Anchor|notpart}}{{Color sample|#CCCCCC|description=Gray}} *Not part of original alphabet; see [[#Versions|§ Versions]] below
|}

A degree of free spelling is allowed to accommodate dialectal differences in English. For example, in the Deseret edition of ''The Book of Mormon'', the word "wherefore" is written as <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐸𐐶𐐩𐑉𐑁𐐬𐑉</span> ({{IPAc-en|hw|ɛər|f|oʊ|r}}),<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofmormdeseretalpha00|title=Book of Mormon in the Deseret Alphabet|last=Smith|first=Joseph|publisher=Corporation of the Presiding Bishop, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|year=1869|edition=1990|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bookofmormdeseretalpha00/page/2 2]}}</ref> which means that the translator of the book did not exhibit the [[wine–whine merger]]. Those who do exhibit the merger might instead prefer the spelling <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐶𐐯𐑉𐑁𐐬𐑉</span> to match the pronunciation ({{IPAc-en|w|ɛr|f|oʊ|r}}), or, depending on [[List of dialects of the English language#United States|dialect]], perhaps <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐶𐐯𐑉𐑁𐐫𐑉</span> ({{IPAc-en|w|ɛr|f|ɔː|r}}).<ref name="Walker2005" />{{rp|38}}

The alphabet was designed to be able to write all of the vowels used in the dialect spoken in 19th century Utah. The vowel inventory has also been attributed to the fact that, unlike other [[American pioneer]]s, the Mormon pioneers were from [[New England]] as opposed to the [[Southern United States|American South]].<ref name="Beesley2004" /> As such, many of the vowels in the Deseret alphabet have since [[Phonological change|merged]] in the modern era: they are no longer distinguished in some dialects of English, particularly dialects of US English, though are still present in others, such as many varieties of British English.

Speakers who exhibit the [[father–bother merger]] no longer distinguish {{IPAc-en|ɑː}} (<span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐪</span>) and {{IPAc-en|ɒ}} (<span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐱</span>), and so both "father" and "bother" would be written with <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐪</span>: as <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐑁𐐪𐑄𐐲𐑉</span> and <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐺𐐪𐑄𐐲𐑉</span> as opposed to <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐑁𐐪𐑄𐐲𐑉</span> and <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐺𐐱𐑄𐐲𐑉</span>. For those with the [[cot–caught merger]], {{IPAc-en|ɔː}} (<span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐫</span>) and {{IPAc-en|ɒ}} (<span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐱</span>) are no longer distinguished: both "cot" and "caught" are thus written by them as <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐿𐐱𐐻</span> ({{IPAc-en|k|ɒ|t}}) in the case of [[North American English]], and as 𐐿𐐫𐐻 ({{IPAc-en|k|ɔː|t}}) in the case of [[Scottish English]]. For those exhibiting both mergers, both would be written <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐿𐐪𐐻</span> ({{IPAc-en|k|ɑː|t}}).<ref name="Walker2005">{{Cite book |url=http://copper.chem.ucla.edu/~jericks/Historical%20or%20Technical/Linguistics/Deseret_Guide.pdf |title=A Complete Guide to Reading and Writing the Deseret Alphabet |website=Joshua Erickson's Deseret Alphabet Pages |last=Walker |first=Neil Alexander |publisher=Lulu.com |year=2005 |isbn=978-1411648654 |pages=26 |access-date=5 March 2014 |archive-date=3 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803095739/http://copper.chem.ucla.edu/~jericks/Historical%20or%20Technical/Linguistics/Deseret_Guide.pdf |url-status=live }}{{Self-published source|date=February 2020}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|date=February 2020}}{{rp|28}}

=== Versions ===
There have been several published versions of the alphabet. Most versions (including the versions used in ''The Deseret First Book'', ''The Deseret Second Book'', ''The Deseret News'' and ''The Book of Mormon'') had only 38 letters, but some versions contained two [[Typographic ligature|ligature]]s, <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐧</span> (ew) and <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐦</span> (oi).<ref name="Beesley">{{Cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02169-deseret.pdf |title=Proposal to Modify the Encoding of Deseret Alphabet in Unicode |last=Beesley |first=Kenneth R. |date=2002-04-25 |website=Unicode Consortium |publisher=Xerox Research Center Europe |access-date=2017-01-04 |archive-date=14 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614210322/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02169-deseret.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In place of 𐐮𐐭<ref name=":15">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/deseretfirstbook00univ| title=<span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐜 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐙𐐲𐑉𐑅𐐻 𐐒𐐳𐐿</span> |publisher=Deseret University |year=1868 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/deseretfirstbook00univ/page/18 18]|trans-title=The Deseret First Book |quote=For <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐮𐐭: "𐐜 𐐶𐐩𐑂𐑆 𐑉𐐬𐑊 𐐱𐑌 𐑄 𐐼𐐨𐐹 𐐺𐑊'''𐐮𐐭''' 𐑅𐐨."</span> (The waves roll on the deep bl'''ue''' sea.) |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> or <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐷𐐭</span>,<ref name="Des2nd"/> <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐑏</span> was to be used; in place of <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐱𐐮</span>, <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐑎</span>.<ref name="Des2nd">{{Cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/thedeseretsecond02univ |title=<span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐜 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐝𐐯𐐿𐐲𐑌𐐼 𐐒𐐳𐐿</span> |publisher=Deseret University |year=1868 |page=[https://archive.org/details/thedeseretsecond02univ/page/7 7] |trans-title=The Deseret Second Book |quote=For <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐷𐐭</span>: "<span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐐𐐨𐑉 𐐮𐑆 𐐪 𐐸𐐩𐑉. 𐐔𐐮𐐼 '''𐐷𐐭''' 𐐯𐑂𐐯𐑉 𐑅𐐨 𐐶𐐲𐑌?</span>" (Here is a hare. Did '''you''' ever see one?), For <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐱𐐮</span>: "<span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐌 𐐸𐐨𐑉 𐐪 𐑌'''𐐱𐐮'''𐑆!</span>" (I hear a n'''oi'''se!) |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

In the 23 February 1859 edition of the ''Deseret News'', the editors announced their approval of the two new letters and eventual intention to use them in the newsletter. However, due to the [[hot metal typesetting]] technology in use at the time, casting the new letters for use would have been a considerable expense, so it was never realized.<ref name="Beesley" />

=== Representation of {{IPA|[ə]}} ===
The Deseret alphabet does not have a distinct symbol for the [[mid central vowel]] ([{{IPA|[[ə]]}}], "schwa"). The lack of a schwa has been cited as the biggest "[[phonological]] flaw" in the alphabet.<ref name="Spendlove2015" /><ref name="Beesley2002" />{{rp|3}}

[[File:The word broken in MJ Shelton's Deseret handwriting.png|thumb|239x239px |Shelton using his [[schwa]] to handwrite the word "broken" (<span lang="en-Dsrt">𐐺𐑉𐐬𐐿ı𐑌</span>) ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|r|oʊ|k|ə|n}}). The standard way to render this word is <span lang="en-Dsrt">𐐺𐑉𐐬𐐿𐑌</span> ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|r|oʊ|k|n}}).]]Because of the lack of a schwa, the author must write the sound that would be used if the syllable was stressed. For example, the word ''enough'' is commonly pronounced {{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|n|ʌ|f}}, but when it is stressed (as in a declaration of irritation) it is pronounced {{IPAc-en|i|ˈ|n|ʌ|f}}. The Deseret spelling of the word, <span lang="en-Dsrt">𐐨𐑌𐐲𐑁</span>, reflects that stressed pronunciation. If [{{IPA|[[ə]]}}] does not have an inherent stressed value in a word, as is often the case before {{IPAc-en|r}}, then it is written as <span lang="en-Dsrt">𐐲</span>.<ref name="Walker2005" />{{rp|32–33}}

[[Marion Jackson Shelton]],<ref>https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/chd/individual/marion-jackson-shelton-1833?lang=eng</ref> an early [[Mormon missionary]], proposed the addition of a new glyph to represent the schwa, a simple vertical line of the same height as other Deseret characters with a similar appearance to the [[Turkish dotless i]] (ı). The addition of this glyph did not catch on among his contemporaries, however, and no document outside of ones penned by Shelton makes use of it.<ref name="Beesley2004" />{{rp|19–20}} Shelton used the new glyph in an 1860 letter to Brigham Young reporting on a recently completed mission to the [[Southern Paiute|Paiute people]].<ref>{{Cite letter|last=Shelton|first=Marion J.|url=https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE3956499|date=3 April 1860|title=Beloved brother, it is with heartfelt gratitude to my Heavenly Father...|recipient=Brigham Young}}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

=== Syllabic values ===
Each letter in the Deseret alphabet has a name, and when a letter is written on its own it has the value of that name. This allows some short words to be written with a single letter, and is called a letter's "syllabic value". The most common word in English, ''the'', is written simply <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐑄</span>, as the letter's name is {{IPAc-en|ð|iː}} and that is the stressed pronunciation of the word. The consonants with syllabic values are <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐶</span> (woo), <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐷</span> (yee), <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐸</span> (ha), <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐹</span> (pee), <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐺</span> (be/bee), <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐻</span> (tee/tea), <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐽</span> (qi), <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐾</span> (jee), <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐑀</span> (gay), and <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐑄</span> (the/thee).<ref name="Walker2005" />{{rp|25}}

Syllabic values do not apply within words, although this was formerly the case. In early documents, Watt writes "people" as <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐹𐐹𐑊</span> with the expectation that readers will interpret the first <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐹</span> as {{IPAc-en|p|iː}}, but the second <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐹</span> as {{IPAc-en|p}}.<ref name="Beesley2004" />{{rp|13}} This contextual value switching was soon done away with, so in later documents, while "bee" is written <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐺</span>, "bees" is written <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐺𐐨𐑆</span>.

In 40-letter versions of the alphabet which include the letter 𐐧 (ew) which represents {{IPAc-en|j|uː}}, the letter <span lang="en-Dsrt>𐐧</span> when standing alone can be used to represent the word "you".<ref name="Walker2005" />{{rp|25,51}}