þurnô

þurnô is a term used in speculative linguistics and worldbuilding to denote a fictional grapheme and its associated phonotactic function within a constructed language. It is not a historical sign, but rather an engineered element discussed in discussions about script design and orthographic innovation.

Etymology and form: The name combines the thorn letter þ, drawn from Old English and Old Norse writing, with a diacritic mark resembling a circumflex on the letter o. In the described orthography, þurnô is treated as a single sign or ligature rather than as two separate characters, and it is typically introduced in worldbuilding texts as a means to explore how new signs might encode phonological information.

Phonology and usage: In published speculative descriptions, þurnô is said to mark a specific phonotactic feature, such as a boundary between syllables, a glide initiation, or a hiatus-resolving cue. The exact phonetic value is not fixed and can vary by text or language family within a given work. In sample sentences from conlang discussions, it is presented as an intervening grapheme that affects syllable structure without occupying separate phonemes of its own.

Significance: þurnô is used to illustrate how orthographic systems can blend historic symbols with modern diacritics to encode novel phonological distinctions. It serves as a thought experiment in how script design interacts with pronunciation, syllable structure, and typographic conventions within fictional or hypothetical languages.

See also: thorn, diacritic, runic influence, conlang, orthography, typography.

References: Mentioned in discussions of constructed scripts and speculative linguistics as an example of hybridity in sign design.