Sprechnorm

Sprechnorm is a constructed language designed to model standardized speech norms in a controlled setting. Initiated in the early 2000s by researchers at the Institute of Phonetics, it aims to minimize irregularities and dialectal variation to study intelligibility, pronunciation, and phonotactics. The language is used in experimental phonetics and in fiction and education projects.

Phonology and orthography: Sprechnorm has a compact inventory and a Latin-based script. Consonants include p b t d k g f s m n l r j w; vowels are i e a o u. Syllables are typically CV or CVC with few clusters. Stress is predictable, usually on the penultimate syllable. The orthography uses diacritics to denote vowel quality and length, and remains largely regular.

Grammar is analytic and relatively regular. The basic word order is subject–verb–object. Noun phrases follow a determiner–noun–adjective pattern; nouns have no case markings. Verbs do not inflect for person or number, and tense or aspect is expressed with auxiliary particles placed before the verb. Pronouns exist and can function as both independent and clitic forms.

Usage and resources: Sprechnorm has a small but active community of learners and researchers. It is employed in university phonetics experiments and in world-building contexts. Core resources include a concise grammar, a pronunciation guide with audio, a bilingual dictionary, and a writer’s style guide.

Example: Mi parolas Sprechnorm. (I speak Sprechnorm.)