COMPOUND WORDS IN ÑSPEL

(The representation of compound words in Ñspel)

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1. Compound nouns are written without a hyphen, eg. relwe (railway), paṣnjrtren (passenger train), mītñples (meeting place), except where:

  1. other than in the case of proper nouns: (a) one of the elements is already a compound, eg. relwe-steśn (railway station); (b) the second element begins with a vowel (other than the schwa – see 1b below), eg. sì-er (sea air); (c) the second element is a monosyllable with the vowel omitted, eg. not-bc (notebook); (d) the two elements deliberately rhyme, eg. mumbo-jumbo.
  2. the expression constitutes a proper noun, in which case the elements are separated by a space, as in traditional spelling, eg. Bucñm Palis (Buckingham Palace), Rījnt Strīt (Regent Street).

Notes:

  1. Other than in the case of proper nouns: (a) a schwa at the end of the first element is represented by a dot, eg. teṛcoṭpot (terracota pot); (b) a schwa at the beginning of the second element is represented by an apostrophe, eg. banc’cǎnt (bank account).
  2. An r-shaded schwa at the end of the first element of a compound proper noun – or a proper noun that derives from a compound – is represented by a dot, eg. Liṿpul (Liverpool) – or by juxtaposition of the same consonant letter, eg. Winttn (Winterton).
  3. Where either element is a monosyllable ending in I, IZ, U or UZ, a macron is added, eg. tīparti (tea party), afṭnuntī (afternoon tea), carcīz (car keys), śūlêsz (shoe laces), wŭdscrū (wood screw), dansñśūz (dancing shoes).
  4. Where the first element is a monosyllable ending in E or O, a circumflex is added, eg. dêlît (daylight), snǒbōl (snowball). Compare sumrdez (summer days), flǎrśo (flower show).

2. Compound words other than nouns are hyphenated – eg. wel-of (well-off), bric-bilt (brick-built) – except where:

  1. the second element begins with the schwa, eg. wel’qentd (well-aquainted).
  2. the first element is an adverb ending in LI, eg. bytifli dn (beautifully done).
  3. the first element indicates what the second is made of, eg. rasḅri jam (raspberry jam).

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