Problem discussed
The CLL includes a paragraph on diphthongs:
The first four diphthongs above (“ai”, “ei”, “oi”, and “au”, the ones with off-glides) are freely used in most types of Lojban words; the ten following ones [“ia”, “ie”, “ii”, “io”, “iu”, “ua”, “ue”, “ui”, “uo”, “uu”] are used only as stand-alone words and in Lojbanized names and borrowings; and the last two (“iy” and “uy”) are used only in Lojbanized names.
[CLL Chapter 3, Section 4.]
It is unclear if the paragraph defines a rule for possible diphthongs, or describes diphthongs of existing words. jbofi'e was designed so that it is applied as a rule to the lexical analysis: vlatai of it disallows cmavo to include a consonant-glide-vowel (CgV) string. On the other hand, camxes allows cmavo to include it:
cmavo-form <- !h !cluster onset (nucleus h)* (!stressed nucleus / nucleus !cluster) / y+ / digit
[...]
onset <- h / consonant? glide / initial
[Version 119 of
PEG morphology page.]
The BPFK members discussed the matter, and put it to the approval voting.
Conclusion
The BPFK disallows CgV in cmevla/fu'ivla/ma'ovla.
It is a stronger restriction than that of CLL, which allows CgV at least in cmevla and fu'ivla. We need therefore to take measures to rescue the existing words that become invalid under the new rule.
Measures to rescue the existing words
CgV words on la jbovlaste will be moved into obsolete words category. In order to rescue the words, the following methods will be useful:
- add an apostrophe between Cg and V; ex.) kuarka -> ku'arka;
- Attention: if the method transforms the word into (pseudo-)lujvo ("fiakre", "fiesta", "kuardicka'u", "tiatro"), it cannot be applied; if the method transforms the word into a bad fu'ivla that fails in slinku'i ("ckankua": it is currently (2015-01-04) downvoted, but can revive someday), it cannot be applied;
- or, if the word is fu'ivla that includes CgV not in the first syllable, make the glide letter double; ex.) ckankua -> ckankuua;
- Attention: if CgV is at the beginning of fu'ivla, this method cannot be applied because camxes will regard the result as two words; ex.) fiakre -> fi iakre;
- if neither 1 nor 2 can be applied,
- turn it back into type-3 fu'ivla; ex.) fiakre -> marcrfi'akre;
- create a corresponding lujvo; ex.) kuardicka'u -> ratslepaudicka'u;
- turn it back into a zi'evla using a hyphen "n"; ex.) kuardicka'u -> ku'andicka'u;
- reformulate it into zei-lujvo; ex.) kuardicka'u -> ku'arka zei dicka'u.