Frostulfr's AoA

I was gifted with the assignment of a new scroll in techniques I haven't done before. Frostulfr the Swordman was receiving his AoA and it was requested to be done in Old Norse.

This was a difficult scroll for me because:

A) I don't know Old Norse.

B) I don't know Viking runes.

C) There really isn't much in the way of Viking manuscripts, and what there is shows little to no illumination.

But! There were also some incredibly exciting parts of this project for me:

A) Getting to work with someone else on the project.

B) Getting to write out something in another language in IPA

C) Getting to make my first scroll based not on a manuscript but other inspirations.

In the end, I found inspiration for various different carvings and jewelry that I could find, and the first letter styled after the Beowulf manuscript.

There were phrases coming from me that I don't think were ever heard in my house before. Things like 'is that an I with a moustache?' and 'what are these bow tie thingies?' and 'I don't even think I know what is going on with that symbol....' But, more exciting was listening to the reading of the scroll over and over so I could write out the IPA transcription. I can't even recall the amount of times my nearly five year old would parrot, in perfect Norse, "Come on, mom! He said 'Hann var sverðtakari mikill ok drengjaval.' Come on!" Oi. What an exciting scroll, filled with a lot of new things for me. I hope it goes over well.

Here is the actual scroll:

 

 

The amazing part for me, of course, was getting to create the IPA transcription in hopes of making it easier for a herald to read. So, here following is the translation in Norse, English, and IPA. Words written by Goði Fridrikr Tomasson, as well as the transcription created from a reading by the same.

 

 

Norse translation

 

Á Steinmark staði var eitt ungmenni, het Frostulfr inn sverðmaðr. Hann var sverðtakari mikill ok drengjaval. Hann vann reiðu at allum mannum. Hann hefði veggberg margt. Hann vanði orrostumenn harða. Hann barði vapnum á hósluvóll með drengskap mikill. Hann gef vórð móti kona goðar. Hann læði ok var maðr allglaðr.

 

Edward, austankonung, ok Þyrra, kenna hans, kolluðu Frostulf til dómhrings þeirra ok hann heitin þingmaðr austanrikis. Þessi inn sextandi dag Gormundar, inn þrítugundi ok sétti dag einvalds Edward ok Þyrra, vetra stofnans fertugundi ok níundi, at Blásin Sandstað, á Burtreið Krunu.

 

 

English Translation

 

In Stonemarche stead was a young man, called Frostulf the Swordsman. He was a mighty sword taker and a courageous man. He did service to all men. He lifted many burdens. He trained brave warriors. He fought in every hazel yard with great courage. He protected his Baroness. He laughed and was a joyful man.

 

Edward, King of the East, and Thyrra, his queen, called Frostulf to their doomring and named him a "thingman" of the East. This on the 16th day of Gormund, the thirty sixth day of the reign of Edward and Thyrra, in the forty-ninth winter of the founding, in Barren Sands stead, at Crown Tourney.

 

 

International Phonetic Alphabet transcription

a as in father          s as in say              z as in zoo

i as in bee               t as in talk             d as in dark

u as in boo              n as in name         m as in mix

ɛ as in bet               l as in laugh           h as in help

ɔ as in saw              r as in read             j as in yes

ɪ as in in                 k as in kiss             g as in great

æ as in cat             ð as in that              θ as in three

o as in oats            v as in clever           f as in fox

p as in plant           b as in boy

 

a stainmark staði var aɪt unɡmɛni, hɛt frɔstulf ɪn sfɛrθmaθ. han va sfɛrθtakadi miko ok drɛŋjaval. han van rɛθu it alu manum. han hɛfði vɛɡbɛr markt. han vandi ɔrustumɛn harθa. han barθi vapnum a hɔsluvol mɛθ drɛŋskap mikl. han ɡɛf vorθ moti kona ɡoθr. han læθi ok var maθr al ɡlad.

ɛdvard, austənkonuŋ, ok θirə, kɛna hans, koluθu frɔstulf tə dɔmrɪŋz θɛra ok han haitɛn θɪŋmaθ austanrikis. θɛsi ɪn sɛkstandi da ɡormundar, ɪn θrituɡundi ok sɛti daɡ ainvalz ɛdvard ok θira, vɛtra stofnanz fɛrtoɡundi ok niundi æt blɛisən sanstaθ a bortriθ krunu.

Queen's Cypher

I was offered the joy of making a Queen's Cypher (an award I don't know much about) for a lovely woman who sounds like she was a joy during the previous reign.

I went to my traditional source, not knowing what needs to be said in something of this manner, and Alys quickly whipped up some words for me (quick compared to my days of deliberation).

"Caoilfhionn Augusta et Nobilissima, Empress of the Eternal East, to all who see or hear these words, greetings and every good thing.   Whereas it is right, just, necessary and proper that those who have labored in good faith and diligence to the glory of our Imperial selves be rewarded for their faithfulness; and whereas Marguerite De Sainte Nazaire has found great favor in our eyes as our chief retainer; therefore, in acknowledgement and recognition of her travails on our behalf and for the love we bear her, we do hereby by these present letters invest and endow the said Marguerite with our Cypher, the said emblem and signacle of our favor to be borne about her person at all times to come and in perpetuity; And so that this our gift may continue firm and unimpaired in future times, we have reinforced it with the protection of our seal and sign manual and caused it to be read before witnesses.  Done upon 27 September in the forty-ninth year of the Society."

At that point it was just deciding on a 14th Century French manuscript to take inspiration from (one of my favorite time periods of manuscripts!!). Based on Les Petites Heures du Duc Jean de Berry, circa 1372-1390.

This was my first time working a portraiture as well as doing gold leafing. The gold leafing is amazing. I really enjoyed working with it, even though I had to remind myself not to breathe while doing so.

My tiniest writing yet.

Look how it shines and shimmers! The cypher is the first letter of the scroll. I've seen a lot of people do it that way before.

Walk Like Commedia

This is a quick little filk I wrote after a particularly inspiring Commedia class. It is based, as you can surmise, on the tune Walk Like An Egyptian:

When acting in Commedia
Remember no character's the same
They own a stance, oh-weh-oh
Their singular walk brought them to fame

All vecchi in Commedia
They do a kind of shuffle dance
If they move too quick, oh-weh-oh
There goes their hope of some romance

So crouch down low and walk real slow and say

“I'm a cuckold, yes I'm a cuckold!”
Walk like any vecchi.

Lets look at all the amorosi
They walk on their toes across the floor
They got the moves, oh-weh-oh
They flutter, they float, they dance and more

Arlecchino is loose and spry
Often seen bouncing to and fro
He likes his food, oh-weh-oh
He doesn't know how to take it slow

So walk real tall or have a silly fall and say

“I'm so hungry, I'm so hungry!”
Walk like Arlecchino.

Pantalone with his purse
Crouches down low and miserly
Come Dottore, oh-weh-oh

Gestures at things you can not see

Get down low and watch your back
Brighella has spider fingers sly
Find someone to scam, oh-weh-oh
Try to stand straight and push your lie

Slide feet apart, bend your back
Puff your chest like a pompous jerk
Grab for your sword, oh-weh-oh
Capitano's not that hard work

Let your full hips swing as you walk and sing and say

“I'm a woman, I'm a woman!”
The walks of Commedia
The walks of Commedia

song by Katrusha Skomorokh, 2014

Practicing IPA

This is a quick little dirty hand out I made to help people practice IPA in three different ways: reading the symbols to create the sounds, reading the language and anatomy of the sound to create the sound, and taking words to practice hearing the sound to transcribe as well as transcribing your own pronunciations.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) as a Tool in the SCA

Katrusha Skomorokh

arathreel@gmail.com

Here are some fun ways to practice IPA.

Reading IPA Practice

[hoʊld]

[kwin]

[ist kɪŋdəm]

[nɑɪt]

[pɛlɪkən]

[lɔrəl]

[ɑɪ lʌv beɪkən]

[lɜt ðɛm it keɪk]

[mæri hæd ʌ lɪtl læm

ɪts flis wʌz wɑɪt æz snoʊ

ænd ɛvriwɛɚ ðæt mæri wɛnt

ðʌ læm wʌz ʃɚ tʌ ɡoʊ]

Understanding the Language of IPA Practice

Try to understand the language we have used in describing the consonants and vowels to decipher what sounds each of these descriptions make.

Bilabial voiced plosive

Open back lax

Velar unvoiced plosive

Palatal voiced fricative

Closed tense front

Pick something off of the chart that is not normally a sound you would hear in English and see if you can use the language to create the sound. Here are some examples:

Uvular voiced trill

Close front lax

Bilabial unvoiced fricative

Listening and Speaking IPA Practice

I want you to look through this list and try and write the IPA for how you would say these words, and then listen to other people speak them and write the IPA for their pronunciations. You may be surprised at the differences.

aunt

been

bowie knife

caramel

cauliflower

coupon

canyon

creek

crayon

Florida

Mary/merry/marry

lawyer

mayonnaise

mischievous

Monday

pajamas

pecan

poem

route

syrup

almond

garage

quarter

IPA Advice:

IPA is a physical activity as well as an aural one. You will make many silly faces, especially as you begin to understand how you form your own words and it will make you feel quite silly for a time, but pay attention to what your articulators are doing so that it will help you begin to explore new sounds. Experiment by placing your articulators in unfamiliar positions and try to create the sound using a description off the sound list. This is how you begin to explore and learn the sounds used in other languages around the world. Soon you will be able to hear 'fricative alveolar, voiced' and know that the sound you are making is a [z] simply by the language used to describe the sound. So just as you can experiment and wonder where the sound you just made fits on the charts, you can work the other way and find a sound on the charts and try and figure out how to make it.

Of course, the best way to learn IPA is to practice, practice, practice. Bring paper with your to court and see if you can transcribe names or interesting (to you) accents. Try and transcribe things you say and have a friend who is also practicing read them back to you. Transcribe words to your favorite song. Play games. Have fun. IPA can be a lot of fun, but it is going to take practice to learn it. Enjoy it, have fun with it, and soon you will be able to use it for the useful tool that it can be.

Updated IPA Class ( IPA as a Tool in the SCA)

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) as a Tool in the SCA

Katrusha Skomorkh

arathreel@gmail.com

What can IPA do for me in the SCA?

How many of you have heard a name mispronounced in court?

How many of you have had your name mispronounced in court?

How many of you have mispronounced a name in court?

Have you ever been unable to figure out someone's phonetic interpretation of a word/name before?

Have you ever phonetically written out your name only to have it still mispronounced?

Have you cringed listening to a singer who just didn't know the proper sound of the language they were singing?

Have you ever tried to teach someone how to sing a song and had a difficult time teaching them the ins and outs of the language?

Have you tried to write a scroll but not known what the recipient's name rhymed with?

Have you tried to decipher a foreign poem but couldn't understand the scansion, meter, or rhyme scheme?

Have you wanted to further your persona by perhaps giving yourself a proper accent?

IPA (the International Phonetic Alphabet) can create a sense of consistency through-out the SCA. Having everyone on the same page when it comes to pronunciations without having to return to the source (asking someone to pronounce their name again) or arguing over someone else's phonetic interpretation of a word will save a lot of time and make people feel more secure and confident in their tasks.

We are a society that is all over the world. Many of us have accents. Many of us choose various regions in which our persona is from that are not where we are from and span large ranges of time. All of these things factor into our pronunciations and our speech as a whole. A lot of this happens because we are often all using the same set of symbols (the Roman alphabet) that have varied sounds linked to them, depending on who is speaking them.

What is IPA? An Introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet:

About 1,300 years ago, our alphabet we use today was first used. When our alphabet was created, certain rules were instated to make it easier:

1. Each symbold should represent a sound.

2. No spoken sound should be represented by more than one symbol.

1,300 years ago, this was a very clever trick to help people sound out the words that they were spelling. Now a days, it is much more difficult as we have merged our language with many other languages and have had to adjust the sounds our letters make. Unfortunately, for someone who is new and trying to learn the English language, the learning curve is much bigger than if we still followed these rules with our alphabet.

The International Phonetic Alphabet (commonly referred to as IPA) was created about 100 years ago as a tool to help people with understanding the sounds of language. What does IPA stand for? International: this alphabet can be applied to any language world round. Phonetic: it is based on the sounds that are created in speech. Alphabet: it follows similar rules to our own alphabet, using symbols that, by putting them together, can create words.

IPA was based off of the Latin alphabet due to the fact that, percentage wise, more of the world recognizes the symbols in this alphabet and, more importantly, has common ground on the sounds linked to the symbols. As such, IPA can be used as a tool to create a generally agreed upon set of symbols to transcribe sounds unambiguously. These are just some of the exciting things that IPA can, and can not, do:

IPA can not teach you another language. Although it will never teach you to conjugate verbs or proper grammar, it can help you properly form the sounds found in the language and help you to sound more fluent.

IPA can be used to record regional variations of speech and accents.

IPA, once used to transcribe something, is a standard measure to make certain everyone pronounces it the same way, no matter what the accent or language may be. It is important to remember, though, that IPA is a very aural tool, meaning that just because you recorded it does not mean that it was recorded properly. People will pronounce it the way you heard it. It is known, though, that people who are listening to a language that is not their own that may have sounds that are not in their native language will merely find the closest sound, unintentionally, to link to what they heard. It takes a lot of practice trying to form all of the different sounds you will come across, and even then you may not be able to hear the difference between sounds. This is just part of the science of IPA.

Rules from The Handbook of the International Phonetic Alphabet

The Handbook of the International Phonetic Alphabet tells us that there are certain assumptions of speech behind the notations used in IPA that are important to remember:

"-Some aspects of speech are linguistically relevant, whilst others (such as voice quality) are not.

-Speech can be represented partly as a sequence of discrete sounds or 'segments'.

-Segments can usefully be divided into two major categories: consonants and vowels.

-The phonetic description of consonants and vowels can be made with reference to how they are produced and to their auditory characteristics.

-In addition to the segments, a number of 'suprasegmental' aspects of speech, such as stress and tone, need to be represented independently of the segments."

What this means is that languages, such as Chinese, where the musical tonality is very important to understanding what a word may possibly be or mean, there are separate symbols to indicate those tones. But, the difference between someone speaking with a raspy voice, such as someone having a cold, it is impossible (nor necessary) to transcribe such a sound quality. The symbols, such as for stress and tone, can be linked to each different segment of speech, AKA the consonants and vowels. The way we decipher the two is to understand the language and anatomy used to create the sounds.

 

The Anatomy and Language of a Consonant

To understand how consonants are made, we first need to be able to look at a diagram of the articulators. The language that will be seen used throughout IPA is easy enough to define when you understand the anatomy of your mouth and other sound creating instruments.

Bilabial - using both lips

Labio-dental - using one lip and teeth

The rest use the tongue and another articulator:

Dental - using the teeth

Alveolar - using the gum ridge

Post-alveolar - using the space behind the gum ridge, before the palate

Palatal - using the hard palate

Velar - using the soft palate

Glottal - using the space between to vocal chords

Plosive - blocking a sream of breath completely for a short time

Nasal - letting air out of the nostrils while the soft palate remains low and the oral cavity is blocked by lips or tongue

Trill – sounds produced by vibrations of the articulator against the place of articulation

Tap/Flap – one articulartor is thrown against another

Fricative - squeezing air through narrow openings

Lateral fricative - squeezing air through narrow openings while the sides of tongue are dropped

Approximant - like a fricative, only the openings are more open, hence not squeezing air

Lateral approximant – the tongue makes solid contact on the roof of the mouth while the sides of the tonge are closer to the teeth

Affricative - created by joining plosives and fricatives

Voiced vs Unvoiced - whether your vocal chords are creating sound as you pass the air or not

Anatomy and Language of Vowels

Vowels in IPA are best understood by viewing the charts and considering how the chart would overlap with its various points on a cross section of the articulators. What we are really concentrating on here is tongue placement and how open your mouth is.

The language that we will traditionally see when looking at the vowel charts are:

Close - meaning that the mouth is as closed as it can be while still able to allow air flow

Close-mid -between closed and half way

Open-mid – between open and half way

Open - meaning that the mouth is at its most open

Front - the sound produced is more towards the front of the mouth

Central - the sound produced is more in the middle of the mouth

Back - the sound produced is further in the back of the mouth

One other thing to note, when viewing the charts, is that two symbols will sit beside each other at the same point on a chart, much like with the consonants chart. The symbol on the right is usually a sound that is made where the lips are more rounded. The symbol on the left, then, is a sound made where the lips are tighter and more stretched.

Consonant Practical Use

[b] as in boat - bilabial voiced plosive

[p] as in puppy - bilabial unvoiced plosive

[d] as in dream - alveolar voiced plosive

[t] as in took - alveolar unvoiced plosive

[g] as in garden - velar voiced plosive

[k] as in cat - velar unvoiced plosive

[v] as in very - labio-dental voiced fricative

[f] as in furry - labio-dental unvoiced fricative

[ð] as in they - dental voiced fricative

[θ] as in three - dental unvoiced fricative

[z] as in zoo - alveolar voiced fricative

[s] as in snake - alveolar unvoiced fricative

[ʒ] as in beige - palatal voiced fricative

[ʃ] as in shop - palatal unvoiced fricative

[h] as in hot - glottal unvoiced fricative

[m] as in manuscript - bilabial voiced nasal

[n] as in next - alveolar voiced nasal

[ŋ] as in sing- velar voiced nasal

[w] as in wet - bilabial voiced glide

[ʍ] as in where - bilabial unvoiced glide

[r] as in red - alveolar voiced glide

[j] as in yes - palatal voiced glide

[l] as in left - alveolar voiced lateral

[ʤ] as in judge - voice affricative

[ʧ] as in chair - unvoiced affricative

Vowel Practical Use

[i] as in eat - close front tense

[ɪ] as in rich - close-mid front lax

[e] as in break - close-mid front tense

[eɪ] as in eight - close-mid front tense diphthong

[ɛ] as in friend - open-mid front lax

[æ] as in laugh - open-mid front tense

[u] as in too – close back lax

[ʊ] as in wooden - close-mid back lax

[o] as in rope – close-mid back tense

[oʊ] as in code - close-mid back tense diphthong

[ɔ] as in awful - open-mid back lax

[ɔɪ] as in coin - open-mid back diphthong

[ɑ] as in calm - open back lax

[ɑɪ] as in time – open back lax diphthong

[ɑʊ] as in house - open back lax diphthong

[ʌ] as in double - open-mid central stressed

[ə] as in bananas - mid central unstressed

[ɝ] as in herd - mid central stressed

[ɚ] as in father - mid central unstressed

Resources

When it comes to IPA, there are many good resources to keep on hand. When learning a language, it is always good to keep around a dictionary. Both Barron's and Longman are known to be IPA dictionaries, AKA the pronunciation guide is written strictly in IPA. Make sure to open the dictionary and make sure you recognize the symbols as being unique IPA symbols for the sounds being used. You will get confused it you try to look at a different style of phonetics.

Speaking Clearly: Improving Voice and Diction by Jeffery C. Hahner, Martin A. Sokoloff, and Sandra L. Salisch

This book is written in the sense of English as a second language, focusing on teaching IPA. If you are finding IPA to be overwhelmingly confusing, this is a great book to start with as it is very simplistic and clear in its teaching techniques. It should come with a CD as well that will help you drill sounds to connect them to different symbols.

Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet by the International Phonetic Association

This book is much more academic, but it does give charts and examples of texts for about 30 different languages and helps you with placement and creation of phonemes. A great book for being able to get to know all the sounds that have symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Singing Early Music: The Pronunciation of European Languages in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance edited by Timothy J. McGee with A. G. Rigg and David N. Klausner

This book is the academic book for learning the changes of pronunciations through the years and it is done fully with the help of IPA for standardization. For those wanting to learn proper pronunciations for music or names for various regions, no matter how others pronounce it, look into this book for the rules and clauses for how to work the various sounds and how they changed through the centuries.

 

 

This is, of course, a very small selection of books that can and will be of use to you. These are merely the ones I like to use a lot. If you find other books that are particularly useful to you, I would love to hear about them. Please consider emailing me the title and author so I can look at them as well!

YOU Are An Inspiration!

Often, I know even I have issues with feeling like I barely make a difference in the SCA. I look at the large pond, like at Pennsic, and feel that there I am like many others. I have hopes, I have dreams, I have hobbies, I have enthusiasm. But, because of that, I don't stand out.

I also know that I have used, and heard others use, the term 'be the changes you want to see'. Tonight I was sitting down and really thinking about that. Be the change. How is being the change you want to see going to do much of anything?

Here is an example. My Commedia Troupe is hurting for attendance. We could really use more participants or, even as important, audience members. We aren't pushy. There is no hierarchy. We all just like to have fun and would like to have fun with more people. People are nervous about joining us, though. They feel like it would be awkward and, worse, 'what can one person do'. How can they support us, because they like what we are doing, without participating in the acting? How could they help us to raise our attendance so they can see more of what they enjoy?

Be the change you want to see.

Do you realize how influential you are? Do you realize how people look up to you? Do you realize what a difference YOU can make? YOU are an inspiration! Don't push it off on someone else. Don't think that someone else will do it and you can just sit back quietly. This isn't somebody else's problem. Go out there! Support the things you love!

Are you in this kind of situation? Do you find there is something in your Barony/Shire or even your Kingdom that seems to be lacking? Are you perhaps not so good at what it is (be it fighting, fencing, archery, calligraphy, etc), but you want to see it grow and prosper because you really do enjoy it, even if you can't do it? Be that change!

Sometimes all you need to do is go to the meetings. Take an hour or two, bring your crafts you are able to do with you, maybe, and go and just... be a support. It raises morale just to have new people. It refreshes the crew. I can't even begin to express how wonderful it has been to have A&S night on the same evening as Vocal Group in my area. The vocal group has an audience! Sometimes people hum along! It brightens everyone's mood to share their passions. There is no reason to agonize over 'I can't do that'.

People will notice. You will stand out. You will make a change for the better. Perhaps coming to the archery practice to watch people shoot will inspire you to song and the archers may be inspired to go to another practice in their area to learn, or even just watch. We are a community that our strength is in supporting one another.

So never think that you wont make a difference. Never believe that your voice wont be heard or that you are invisible. You are you, and because of that, you are incredible. You are an inspiration. You are a rockstar!

To read more about being a rock star, go here: ROCK STAR!!

To read more about responsibility in a volunteer organization, go here: Somebody Else's Problem