Vowel Disambiguator Chords

English spelling is very useful for creating homophones, which causes problems for all steno theories. Among Plover's various techniques for disambiguating words, it includes two very useful vowel chords, AE and AO. Unlike other vowel chords, these indicate a certain spelling as well as a certain sound:

• AE: This is used to disambiguate word conflicts where one of the words is spelled with "ea".
• The word 'pair' is chorded PAEUR using the AEU chord, while the word 'pear' is spelled with "ea" and so is disambiguated PAER.
• The word 'beet' is chorded PWAOET using the AOE chord, while the word 'beat' is spelled with "ea" and so is disambiguated PWAET
• The word 'bare' is chorded PWAEUR using the AEU chord, while the word 'bear' is spelled with "ea" and so is disambiguated PWAER
• If neither word is spelled with an "ea", but one of them has both an "a" and an "e", the word with the "a" and "e" gets the AE chord:
• The word 'gait' is chorded TKPWAEUT using the AEU chord, while the word 'gate' has an "a" and an "e" and so is disambiguated TKPWAET
• The word 'ail' is chorded AEUL using the AEU chord, while the word 'ale' has an "a" and an "e" and so is disambiguated AEL
• AO: This is used for two types of words:
• Words that are spelled with "oo", like 'book' and 'floor'
• Words that have the same 'o' sound defined by O or OE, but that are spelled with "oa".
• The word 'horse' is chorded HORS, while the word 'hoarse' is spelled with an "oa" and so is disambiguated HAORS.
• The word 'rode' is chorded ROED, while the word 'road' is spelled with an "oa" and so is disambiguated RAOD.

Exercise: Vowel Disambiguator Chords

• 'wheel' 'wheal' 'read' 'reed' 'reel' 'real' 'heel' 'heal' 'hear' 'here' 'ware' 'wear' 'pea' 'pee' 'peace' 'piece' 'tee' 'tea' 'sea' 'see'
• 'tail' 'tale' 'sale' 'sail' 'stare' 'stair' 'waist' 'waste'
• 'hood' 'rude' 'pool' 'crew' 'soot' 'truce' 'school' 'ruse'
• 'road' 'rode' 'roar' 'toad' 'soar' 'sore'

Solutions

Solution: Vowel Disambiguator Chords

• 'wheel': WHAOEL
• 'wheal': WHAEL
• 'reed': RAOED
• 'read': RAED
• 'reel': RAOEL
• 'real': RAEL
• 'heel': HAOEL
• 'heal': HAEL
• 'here': HAOER
• 'hear': HAER
• 'ware': WAEUR
• 'wear': WAER
• 'pee': PAOE
• 'pea': PAE
• 'piece': PAOES
• 'peace': PAES
• 'tee': TAOE
• 'tea': TAE
• 'see': SAOE
• 'sea': SAE
• 'tail': TAEUL
• 'tale': TAEL
• 'sail': SAEUL
• 'sale': SAEL
• 'stair': STAEUR
• 'stare': STAER
• 'waist': WAEUFT
• 'waste': WAEFT
• 'hood': HAOD
• 'rude': RAOUD
• 'pool': PAOL
• 'crew': CRAOU
• 'soot': SAOT
• 'truce': TRAOUS
• 'school': SKAOL
• 'ruse': RAOUZ
• 'road': RAOD
• 'rode': ROED
• 'roar': RAOR
• 'toad': TAOD
• 'soar': SAOR
• 'sore': SOR