SEGMENT XI (a truly human script)

Contrary to their appearances – contrary to their name – contrary to everything we’re brought up to believe – consonants are a critique of vowels. The earliest writing systems knew this: hieroglyphic writing and its successors, down to the Phoenician alphabet, featured vowels only in the form of implicit pauses and breaks. Hieroglyphs feature one, two, sometimes three consonants: never any vowels. Phoenician writing knows interpolated quasi-vowels, but none as obvious – as intrusive – as the vowels in our contemporary Latin script.

_nd they knew why. Conson_nts h_ve _ b_d reput_tion – _ reput_tion for mooching off of their vowel cousins – _ reput_tion for being, _t most, con-son_nt, with-sounding, _dj_cent to vowels but never center-st_ge. But they h_ve this reput_tion for no re_son. L_ngu_ge is _rticul_tion: _rticul_ted sound when we spe_k, _rticul_ted ink when we write. But wh_t would rem_in of _rticul_tion if conson_nts dis_ppe_red? B_rely _nything would be discernible. The world would be filled with the un_rticul_ted cries of wh_t h_d formerly been hum_n spe_kers, _nd wh_t is now reduced to inf_nts b_bbling without intelligibility

But consid_r th_ vow_l dis_pp__ring: v_ry littl_ would ch_ng_. To b_ sur_, you could _nunci_t_ _ny of th_s_ words in _ny w_y, fill it with _ny vow_l, _s th_ _mpty sp_c_s b_tw__n th_ conson_nts grow _nd grow. But _rticul_tion r_m_ins. M__ning, p_rh_ps, r_m_ins. Mor_ t_nuously _s w_ progr_ss, to b_ sur_. But it’s still th_r_. Th_ vow_l is _ p_r_sit_ within th_ ord_r_d r_nks of conson_nts, not th_ oth_r w_y _round. Th_ vow_l is, by d_finition, impl_m_nt_d b_tt_r th_ long_r it is h_ld, th_ long_r it is _nunci_t_d, th_ long_r it inscrib_s its_lf into th_ world’s st_g_. Th_ _ri_ is th_ vow_l’s t_l_ologic_l _nd point. Which m__ns th_t th_ vow_l const_ntly _nd consist_ntly miss_s its id__l form by _ wid_ m_rgin.

Th_ conson_nt, on th_ oth_r h_nd, do_s _x_ctly wh_t _t _s suppos_d to do, _nd _t _ny g_v_n po_nt fulf_lls _ts pr_c_s_ purpos_. Th_ h_story of vow_ls _s _ h_story of f__lur_. Th_t of conson_nts, _n unr_str_ct_d succ_ss. Cons_d_r, _f you w_ll, th_ w_y hum_n sp__ch _m_rg_d from th_ world’s g_n_r_l_z_d soundsc_p_s. _n_m_ls cry, th_ w_nd sh_k_s l__v_s, w_v_s cr_sh _g__nst th_ shor_: p_tt_rn_d b_ckground of sounds. Th_ sound of hum_n sp__ch _s _n _rt_cul_t_on sculpt_d of th_ sound of th_ world. R_nd_r_ng th_ world r__d_ly w_th_n hum_n gr_sp, _rt_cul_t_on r_nd_rs m__n_ng out of sound. _nd how do_s _t do th_t? Th_ conson_nt, not th_ vow_l, m_rks off th_ b_g_nn_ngs _nd _nd_ngs of __ch sound un_t, __ch word or syll_bl_ or s_nt_nc_ or, ult_m_t_ly, phon_m_. Conson_nts _r_ th_ m_rk_rs of hum_ns w_th_n th_ g_n_r_l_z_d p_tt_rns of sound th_t th_ world pr_s_nts, _nd th_t hum_ns pr_s_nt to th_ world.

But th_ v_w_l? P_r_s_t_c f_ll_r, _t m_k_s hum_n sp__ch pr_t_nd t_ b_ s_m_th_ng wh_ch _t _s n_t. C_ns_n_nts m_rk _ff w_rds, m_rk _ut hum_n sp__ch, m_rk th_ pr_s_nc_ _f hum_ns w_th_n th_ w_rld. V_w_ls, f_ll_ng sh_rt _f th__r _d__l f_rm, m_r_ly f_ll g_ps. C_nst_ntly _nd c_ns_st_ntly f__l_ng t_ fulf_ll th__r pr_m_ry purp_s_, th_y m_r_ly r_und _ut wh_t _s _lr__dy th_r_. _f th_ _mpty sl_ts d_s_pp__r_d, c_ns_n_nts w_uld st_ll uph_ld th_ m_rk_ngs _f hum_n_ty _n th_ s_undsc_p_s _f th_ w_rld. _t _s n_t th_ c_ns_n_nt wh_ch _s d_p_nd_nt _n th_ v_w_l: th_ v_w_l _s d_p_nd_nt _n th_ c_ns_n_nt.

Th_ v_w_l _s _ tr__ch_r__s f__l_r_. P_rh_ps _ scr_pt r_t_rn_ng t_ th_ _tch_ngs _f c_ns_n_nts _nt_ th_ w_rld’s s__ndsc_p_s – _ scr_pt r_t_rn_ng t_ th_ h__r_gl_ph_c pr_nc_pl_ _f _rt_c_l_t_d c_ns_n_nts – w__ld c_nst_t_t_ _ tr_l_ h_m_n scr_pt.

by Sascha Engel

Sascha Engel is the founder and editor of Strukturriss, an Ireland-based journal focusing on anarchic dissolutions of text. After teaching in U.S. higher education for a while, he now writes semi-human word structures, some of which have been published here and there. Twitter: @ThinkContinuum