@aldersprig
I want to know how the Judoon get by with only one vowel
@DialMforMara @aldersprig@tootplanet.space When I was in Australia, one of the running jokes about New Zealand was that their version of English only has one vowel, so everybody there ate lunch at the feush eund cheups sheup.
@DialMforMara @aldersprig@tootplanet.space Or maybe we can't hear the subtleties in how the vowels differ from each other and we're just assuming it's one sound. Or maybe they write using an abjad that doesn't include hinting. Lots of ways to split that one.
@aldersprig@tootplanet.space @DialMforMara Tonal variations, creaky/breathy voice, volume... there's a lot of ways to change the sound without changing the "vowel."
@literorrery @aldersprig And a lot of them are not things native English speakers notice.
@literorrery @aldersprig So maybe the Judoon use suprasegmental distinctions and context to expand their vowel space. Maybe we're just stereotyping, like the Australians in your example.