These typographic cards are based on the concept of communicating accent & dialect without changing the spelling of words. The system relies on using modified characters that are largely featural – they should ‘look like they sound’. Similarly to the way in which we teach children to speak and spell, this system uses cards to create a sense of play. A manual accompanies the cards.
One side of the cards is written in conventional Standard English, and the reverse is written using special characters which vary with which deck of cards you are using. Below are some photos of cards from the Cornish set, showing how the ‘T’ and ‘Y’ sounds of Standard English are spoken in a Cornish dialect.
To make things more fun, you can combine decks to make up new pronunciations out of more than one accent.
To make things more fun, you can combine decks to make up new pronunciations out of more than one accent.
The instruction manual covers questions you might be asking yourself – such as what the cards are for – as well as explaining how to use the cards, and why they were designed the way they are. It provides clarification as to how each dialectal character is pronounced, using written descriptions and anatomical diagrams of how the sounds are formed in the mouth.
