05-10-2013, 03:50 PM
Alberto,
As far as I know, the language is the same in terms of grammar. The difference is script and pronunciation of that script.
The consonant letters map one-to-one between Estrangelo and Serto. The difference between the two scripts is in the vowels, which were developed centuries after Christ. Serto manuscripts will invariably use Western (Jacobite) vowel points, basically A, E, I, O, and U written above the consonants (using a Spanish-like pronunciation), thus distinguishing five vowels, whereas manuscripts in Estrangelo or the Eastern script will use Eastern vowel points, which distinguish seven vowels (ah, eh, ee, ih, uh, oh, oo, imagine English pronunciation). The vowels map to one another in a way that is not one-to-one and maybe not what one would expect at first. A = uh, E = eh or ih, I = ee, O = ah, U = oh or oo. In addition, there are some differences about when consonants are pronounced soft or hard, depending on the dialect, but these differences are minor issues.
I think it would be helpful to learn Estrangelo, even if your primary use will be in Serto. The Estrangelo letters are an older form, so it may help to see how those evolved to their Serto forms. Or, maybe I just find this sort of thing fascinating.
bar Sinko
As far as I know, the language is the same in terms of grammar. The difference is script and pronunciation of that script.
The consonant letters map one-to-one between Estrangelo and Serto. The difference between the two scripts is in the vowels, which were developed centuries after Christ. Serto manuscripts will invariably use Western (Jacobite) vowel points, basically A, E, I, O, and U written above the consonants (using a Spanish-like pronunciation), thus distinguishing five vowels, whereas manuscripts in Estrangelo or the Eastern script will use Eastern vowel points, which distinguish seven vowels (ah, eh, ee, ih, uh, oh, oo, imagine English pronunciation). The vowels map to one another in a way that is not one-to-one and maybe not what one would expect at first. A = uh, E = eh or ih, I = ee, O = ah, U = oh or oo. In addition, there are some differences about when consonants are pronounced soft or hard, depending on the dialect, but these differences are minor issues.
I think it would be helpful to learn Estrangelo, even if your primary use will be in Serto. The Estrangelo letters are an older form, so it may help to see how those evolved to their Serto forms. Or, maybe I just find this sort of thing fascinating.
bar Sinko