This commit implements support for [Totontepec Mixe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totontepec_Mixe). The Espeak rules are based on the phonological inventory, orthographic mappings, and phonetic processes described in the "Esbozo fonológico" (phonological outline/sketch) chapter of Verónica Guzmán Guzmán's 2012 master's thesis in Indo American Linguistics awarded by the [Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social](https://ciesas.edu.mx/) and *Vocabulario Mixe de Totontepec* (Totontepec Mixe vocabulary), compiled by Alvin Schoenhals and Louise C. Schoenhals and published by the Summer Institute of Linguistics in 1965.
This commit was developed as part of a project for [Computational Linguistics](https://jnw.domains.swarthmore.edu/ling073/syllabus.php) at [Swarthmore College](https://swarthmore.edu). We feel that this language is suitable for merge with "testing" status, but further verification/improvements by native speakers would be very helpful.
co-authored-by: Elizabeth Resendiz <[email protected]>
I went through the conjunctions and prepositions listed in the Ambar
Eldaron Quenya Dictionary [1] and the Omikhleia Sindarin Dictionary [2]
and added all the ones with a single light syllable to the list as
unstressed (with one exception). I think this improves the way some
texts are read a little bit (though I have to admit I find it hard to
tell the difference).
[1]: https://ambar-eldaron.com/telechargements/quenya-engl-A4.pdf
[2]: https://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/sindar/index.html
Switch to Quenya when encountering ⟨q⟩ in Sindarin
In Sindarin, ⟨q⟩ or ⟨qu⟩ do not occur, so if we encounter it, the word
must actually be Quenya. Let’s be user-friendly and switch to Quenya in
that case (though I’m not sure how common it would be to encounter a
single Quenya word in a Sindarin text – I suspect it would be more
likely that the user chose the wrong language and really the entire text
is in Quenya).
According to the Tolkien Gateway article on Qenya [1], Tolkien used ⟨q⟩
to represent [kʷ] before the writing of The Lord of the Rings (during
which he decided to use ⟨qu⟩ instead). Let’s support it, in case someone
wants to use eSpeak NG to pronounce names from the earlier volumes of
the History of Middle-earth.
[1]: http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Qenya
According to Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings, ⟨k⟩ is used with the
same value as ⟨c⟩ in names from non-Elvish languages (both representing
/k/). However, in the Silmarillion, ⟨k⟩ is also used in some Elvish
names, such as Tulkas and Kementári, as well as in some words in the
Appendix (Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names), e.g. kir- as an
element or root in Calacirya, Cirth, and other words. And in earlier
versions of the language (when Quenya was called Qenya and Sindarin
Gnomish), ⟨k⟩ also often occurs. Therefore, let’s support it as an
alternative spelling of ⟨c⟩.
Currently, eSpeak NG doesn’t seem to do the two-step replacement of
⟨kh⟩→⟨ch⟩→⟨x⟩, which means that ⟨kh⟩ is ultimately pronounced as /kh/
(or /kʰ/?) rather than [χ]; according to Appendix E, this is correct in
Dwarvish, while in Orkish and Adûnaic ⟨kh⟩ should be equivalent to ⟨ch⟩.
Since we’re not really aiming for pronouncing any of these languages,
either way is fine.