Vowels cheat sheet

How the four vowels are reused. Sounds are on Sounds and spelling. Nothing here is new: each row links to the section that teaches it. Stage: B Beginner, I Intermediate, A Advanced.

The letter order a o e u has two sibling scales: size is amount (biggest to smallest), order is sequence (first to fourth). Each series reuses one scale’s leftover-logic. A hang cue says why.

Scales and series

Series	Parent	Hang cue	a	o	e	u	Stage
Size (scale)	—	how much is there	big	medium	small	none	A
Order (scale)	—	which slot in a count of four	first	second	third	fourth	B
Join	size	how much list is left	and (grows)	rank (stays)	choice (one)	not (gone)	B
Act	join	what you do to the discourse list	statement	command	question	prohibition	B
Hook	join	how much of A is still in the slot	including	rather	instead	except	B
Extra-noun	hook (same spelling)	landmark as the hook job	in	for	at	from	B
Scope	size	how far the label reaches	type	practiced role	this pair	this episode	I
Ability	size	how much can-do is in	can	can't right now	can't yet	never	B
Pointer	size	how far the pointing reaches	the other one	this sentence	latest	unsaid	B
Sake	size	how much of the sake is in	met	motive	prescription	unmet	B
Tag	order	same assignment queue as digits	first (A)	second (O)	third (E)	last (U)	I
Digit	order	next unused vowel	ba za na	do vo mo	ge re	hu lu	B
Finger code (vowel hand)	order	pinky-first count	1 (pinky)	2	3	4	B

How the series hang

four vowels
├── size — how much stuff
│     ├── middle vowel — how big the thing is
│     ├── capability — how much can-do is in
│     ├── pointer vowel — how far the pointing reaches
│     ├── conversation length — how much talk is left
│     ├── sake — how much of the sake is in
│     ├── scope — how far the label reaches
│     │     ├── label scope
│     │     ├── role compound
│     │     ├── say-word scope
│     │     ├── landmark facing
│     │     ├── pointer scope slot
│     │     └── stacked scope (writes scope, reads as join / hook)
│     └── join — how much list is left
│           ├── stacked joins
│           ├── unspecified member
│           ├── restrictors / more occasions
│           ├── comparatives / equative
│           ├── number markers
│           ├── join-act / join-relation
│           ├── root job — what the root does to stuff / tail suffixes
│           └── hook — how much of A is still in the slot
│                 ├── same-role
│                 ├── discourse glue
│                 ├── hook resume
│                 ├── hook prefix / hooked join
│                 ├── ranges
│                 └── place hook (same spelling; landmark as hook job)
│                       ├── stacked place hook (writes hook, reads as join stacks)
│                       └── feeling loci

four vowels
├── size — how much stuff
│     └── join — how much list is left
│           └── act — what you do to the discourse list
│                 ├── speech act
│                 ├── stand-in
│                 ├── say-word answer
│                 ├── polar / polar inventory
│                 └── rhetorical / quiz stacks
└── sequence — which slot in a count of four
      ├── digit names — next unused vowel
      │     └── letter names — opposite, so naming is not counting
      ├── tags — same assignment queue: A first, U last
      ├── vowel pitch — the count climbs: low to high
      └── finger-code vowel hand — pinky-first count; consonant hand does not

A say word is scope then act (hwuvom: this-act u, require o). A role pointer is scope then pointer (zwuzer: episode u, latest e).

Size

Middle vowel. Memory aid only: grammar does not read it. Feelings have no size.

Middle vowel	Size	Stage
a	about your size or bigger	A
o	between your hand and you	A
e	no bigger than your hand	A
u	nothing you could measure	A

Job	a	o	e	u	Stage
Ability	xa can	xo can't right now	xe can't yet	xu never	B
Pointer	the other one (zwuzar)	this sentence (dwuzor)	latest with that part (zwuzer)	left unsaid (zwuzur)	B
Conversation length	xan open-ended	xon a few minutes	xen one slot	xun passing	I
Sake stance	tha met / serves	tho motive	the prescription	thu unmet / detracts	B
Label scope	tha a type	tho practiced role	the this pair	thu this episode	I
Role compound		zwozeduyol a teacher		zwuzeduyol someone who teaches	B

Join

Joins use leftover-list: a grows, o ranks, e chooses one, u takes away. Same-role hooks hang on join: how much of A is still in the slot.

Job	a	o	e	u	Stage
Join	and	rank: first matters most	pick one	not / none of	B
Same-role hook	including	or rather	instead	except	B
Discourse glue	al Additionally	ol In other words	el Instead	ul Except	B
Hook resume, front	ar Going back to that	or As I said	er Anyway	ur Never mind that	I
Number marker	+ count	# ordinal	_ digit string	- negative	I
Restrictor	hal only when / never		her anytime	hur some other time; hual always	B
Comparative / equative		zol more … than			B
Root job	holds or gathers	order, path, sequence	one whole thing	takes away	A

Equative oe zoel as … as is a join stack (rank joins).

Stacked joins

Two vowels keep the same pieces: u first inverts, the rest combine. Join stacks: rank joins.

Vowels	Join	Stage
ao	A, then B	I
ua	everything but	B
uo	rank reversed	I
ae	and/or	I
oe	tie	I
ue	anything but	I

Act words

Stand-ins and say-word answers use the same vowels as the act words: leftover-list work on claims.

Job	a	o	e	u	Stage
Speech act	statement (yal)	command (yol)	question (yel)	prohibition (yul)	B
Stand-in	darl that …	dorl to …	derl whether …	durl lest / not to …	B–I
Say-word answer	allow	require	their call	forbid	I

Polar answers

Polar answers stack two of these vowels. Beginner yes / no / sure: polar stance. The rest: polar inventory.

Vowels	Polar	Stage
ao	yaol yes / will do	B
uo	yuol no / I won't	B
ae	yael sure	B
ue	yuel not that	I
ua	yual doesn't apply	I
oe	yoel I won't answer	I

Extra nouns

Extra-noun hooks are the hook spelling after /b/. Feeling loci reuse them: a in, o for, e at, u from.

Job	a	o	e	u	Stage
Extra-noun	in	for	at	from	B
Feeling locus	in (inside)	for (on behalf)	at (aimed)	from (away)	I

Stacked extra nouns

Full extra-noun grid: extra nouns. Feeling loci reuse the same stacks. English stays; letters follow join stacks.

Vowels	Extra-noun (-l / -m)	Feeling locus	Stage
ao	using / by	placating	I
ua	out of / out from among	out of fight, giving up	B
uo	against / contrary to	against	I
ae	on / over	over the situation	I
oe	toward / in the direction of	seeking	I
ue	through / by way of	unplaced	I

Root job

From root tails. Last vowel hangs on join. Memory aids only: grammar does not read them.

Last vowel	Job	Examples	Stage
a	holds or gathers	abowa basket, aruda rice, eneza ant	A
o	order, path, sequence	oraho road, ugoro clock, eruvo run, urulo rainbow	A
e	one whole thing	ogoze cat, alede apple	A
u	takes away	anewu knife, ezozu snake, evemu fear	A

Order

Job	a	o	e	u	Stage
Digit	ba za na	do vo mo	ge re	hu lu	B
Tag	tag A (zwar)	tag O	tag E	tag U	I
Pitch	low	mid-low	mid-high	high	B
Finger code vowel hand	1 (pinky)	2	3	4	B

Pitch adds no meaning. Letter names are the opposite of the digit (bu de go ha …), so naming a letter never sounds like counting.