# MemeLingua Spoken Roots

Working pronunciation layer for the current 100-root vocabulary.

The semantic source of truth is `docs/vocabulary.md`; this file assigns a short spoken root to each single-emoji root. The current draft keeps the earlier stricter constraint: roots are 1-3 letters where possible, unique within the list, and chosen from complete words, particles, natural sounds, or recognizable international roots rather than arbitrary clippings.

## Pronunciation Notes

- Use simple open vowels: `a` = ah, `e` = eh, `i` = ee, `o` = oh, `u` = oo.
- `au` sounds like the start of audio.
- `ai` sounds like eye.
- `c` is hard like `k`; `g` is hard as in go.
- No tones are required, even when a source language uses tones.

## Root List

| # | Emoji | Meaning | Spoken root | Source / rationale |
|---:|:---:|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🙋 | SELF / I / ME | `mi` | Common first-person form in Esperanto and several Romance-adjacent learning contexts; clear for self. |
| 2 | 🫵 | YOU | `tu` | Latin and Romance second-person form. |
| 3 | 👤 | PERSON | `ren` | Mandarin 人 / ren, a direct person/human word. |
| 4 | 📦 | THING | `res` | Latin res, meaning thing, matter, or affair. |
| 5 | 🧍 | BODY | `som` | Greek soma, body; visible in somatic. |
| 6 | 🧩 | PART | `bu` | Sinitic/Japanese 部, part, section, or division. |
| 7 | 🧬 | KIND | `gen` | Greek/Latin genus family, kind, or type root. |
| 8 | 👇 | THIS | `hic` | Latin hic, this/here; fits a pointing-at-this root without a hard-to-say consonant. |
| 9 | 👽 | OTHER | `ali` | Latin alius family, other or another. |
| 10 | 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 | SAME | `mo` | Japanese mo, also/too; useful for parallel or same-as meaning. |
| 11 | 🪞 | LIKE | `sim` | Latin similis / similar family; better for likeness than English "as." |
| 12 | 🏷️ | NAME | `nom` | French nom and Latin nomen family. |
| 13 | 🟰 | BE | `es` | Spanish es, is. |
| 14 | ✊ | HAVE | `tem` | Portuguese tem, has/there is; a complete high-frequency possession/existence form. |
| 15 | 🛠️ | DO | `do` | Complete English action verb. |
| 16 | 💥 | HAPPEN | `bam` | Natural impact/event sound for something occurring. |
| 17 | 🏃 | MOVE | `go` | Short, widely recognized movement verb. |
| 18 | 🌱 | LIVE | `viv` | Latin/Romance vivere/vivir/vive life and live family. |
| 19 | 💀 | DIE | `ded` | Internet dead/ded; short and meme-native. |
| 20 | 🧲 | WANT | `vol` | Latin/Romance volo/vouloir family for will or want. |
| 21 | 🤞 | CAN | `can` | Complete English ability word. |
| 22 | ⚠️ | NEED | `yao` | Mandarin 要 / yao, want or need. |
| 23 | 🔧 | TOOL | `kit` | Complete English word for a tool set or equipment set. |
| 24 | 🔁 | CHANGE | `gai` | Mandarin 改 / gai, change or alter. |
| 25 | ✅ | DONE | `fin` | Finish/final/fin family for completion. |
| 26 | 🚫 | NOT | `not` | Complete English negator. |
| 27 | 👍 | YES / TRUE | `hai` | Japanese hai, yes. |
| 28 | 👎 | NO / FALSE | `no` | Widely recognized negative answer. |
| 29 | ✨ | GOOD | `bon` | French/Latin/Romance bon, good. |
| 30 | 😈 | BAD | `mal` | Romance mal, bad, wrong, or evil. |
| 31 | 🔗 | CONNECT | `net` | Network/internet/link association. |
| 32 | ↔️ | OR | `or` | Complete English logical alternative word. |
| 33 | ☯️ | CONTRAST | `but` | Complete English contrast marker. |
| 34 | 🚦 | IF | `si` | Spanish/French si, if; compact and common in conditional phrases. |
| 35 | 💡 | REASON / BECAUSE | `cuz` | Common informal because; meme-native and immediately readable as a reason marker. |
| 36 | 🎲 | MAYBE | `may` | English may, possibility. |
| 37 | ❓ | QUESTION / UNKNOWN | `ma` | Mandarin question particle ma. |
| 38 | ➕ | MORE | `add` | Complete English operation word; also tied to Latin addere. |
| 39 | ➖ | LESS | `sin` | Spanish sin, without; maps well to absence and minus. |
| 40 | 🌐 | ALL | `pan` | Greek pan, all. |
| 41 | 🤏 | SOME | `bit` | Complete English word for a small amount. |
| 42 | 📎 | OF | `de` | Romance de, of/from. |
| 43 | 📍 | PLACE | `pin` | Complete English word matching the map-pin marker. |
| 44 | ⏰ | TIME | `tok` | Tick-tock/tock clock sound. |
| 45 | 👉 | TO | `ni` | Japanese ni, a direction/recipient particle for to/toward. |
| 46 | 👈 | FROM | `ab` | Latin ab, from/away from. |
| 47 | 🤝 | WITH | `con` | Spanish/Italian con, with. |
| 48 | 📥 | IN | `en` | Spanish/French en, in/inside. |
| 49 | 👆 | ON | `su` | Italian su, on/up; strong fit for the upward-pointing surface relation. |
| 50 | 🔭 | DISTANCE | `far` | Complete English distance word. |
| 51 | 🗺️ | ROUTE | `via` | Latin/Italian via, way or by way of. |
| 52 | 🎯 | FOR | `por` | Spanish/Portuguese por, for/by/for the sake of. |
| 53 | 🧠 | THINK | `um` | Natural hesitation/thinking sound. |
| 54 | 🎓 | KNOW | `ken` | Scots/Northern English ken, know. |
| 55 | ⚖️ | WEIGHT | `ton` | Complete weight-unit word. |
| 56 | 👀 | SEE | `ver` | Spanish/Portuguese ver, see. |
| 57 | 👂 | HEAR | `aud` | Audio/auditory and Latin audire family; recognizable hearing root. |
| 58 | ✋ | TOUCH | `tap` | Complete English contact action. |
| 59 | 🗣️ | SPEAK | `vox` | Latin vox, voice. |
| 60 | 📄 | CONTENT | `doc` | Complete document shorthand; fits the page/content icon and stays easy to say. |
| 61 | 🎨 | COLOR | `iro` | Japanese 色 / iro, color. |
| 62 | 🔷 | SHAPE | `kei` | Sino-Japanese 形 / kei, form or shape. |
| 63 | 📏 | MEASURE | `met` | Greek/Latin meter/metron measuring root. |
| 64 | ❤️ | LOVE | `ama` | Latin/Romance am- love family. |
| 65 | 💓 | FEEL | `sen` | Latin/Romance sentir/sense family. |
| 66 | 👃 | SMELL | `nos` | Nose/nasal family; smell through the nose is easy to remember. |
| 67 | 🛟 | HELP | `aid` | Complete English/French aid/aide family; direct help/rescue word. |
| 68 | 😨 | FEAR | `eek` | Complete fear interjection. |
| 69 | 😂 | LAUGH / FUN | `ha` | Natural laugh sound. |
| 70 | 😭 | SAD / CRY | `sad` | Complete English sadness word. |
| 71 | 😊 | HAPPY | `joy` | Complete English/French-derived happiness word. |
| 72 | 😴 | SLEEP | `nap` | Complete English sleep word. |
| 73 | 🚨 | URGENT / ALERT | `sos` | International emergency signal repurposed for alert/urgency. |
| 74 | 🪨 | HARD / SOLID | `dur` | French/Latin dur, hard. |
| 75 | ⚔️ | OPPOSE / FIGHT | `war` | Complete conflict word with Germanic roots. |
| 76 | 👐 | TRANSFER / GIVE / TAKE | `dar` | Spanish/Portuguese dar, give; direction compounds distinguish give/take. |
| 77 | 📐 | SIDE | `lat` | Latin latus/lateral side family. |
| 78 | 🐣 | NEW | `neo` | Greek neo, new. |
| 79 | 👪 | FAMILY | `kin` | Complete English/Germanic family relation word. |
| 80 | 👑 | CONTROL / AUTHORITY | `reg` | Latin regere/regulate/regime family for rule, authority, and control. |
| 81 | ⭐ | IMPORTANT / SPECIAL | `key` | Complete English word for important or central. |
| 82 | 🎉 | CELEBRATE | `yay` | Natural celebration exclamation. |
| 83 | ⚡ | STRONG / EFFORT | `li` | Mandarin 力 / li, strength or power; lightning emphasizes force, energy, and effort. |
| 84 | 🦵 | LIMB | `leg` | Complete English limb word matching the emoji. |
| 85 | 🌎 | EARTH | `geo` | Greek ge/geo earth root. |
| 86 | 💧 | LIQUID | `wai` | Hawaiian/Maori wai, water. |
| 87 | 🔥 | FIRE | `ahi` | Hawaiian/Maori ahi, fire. |
| 88 | 💨 | AIR | `air` | Complete English air word with broad international recognition. |
| 89 | 🌳 | PLANT | `ki` | Japanese 木 / ki, tree or wood. |
| 90 | 🐾 | ANIMAL | `zoo` | Greek zoon/zoo animal association. |
| 91 | ☀️ | LIGHT | `lux` | Latin lux, light. |
| 92 | 🍔 | FOOD | `fan` | Mandarin 饭 / fan, cooked rice, meal, or food. |
| 93 | 👄 | MOUTH | `maw` | Complete English word for mouth or jaws; concrete and easy to pronounce. |
| 94 | 🪣 | CONTAINER | `tub` | Complete English container word; broader than jar and visually close to a bucket/tub. |
| 95 | 💰 | VALUE / MONEY | `oro` | Spanish/Italian oro, gold. |
| 96 | 💭 | ABOUT / TOPIC | `re` | Latin re and email `re:` convention, regarding/about. |
| 97 | 🔊 | SOUND | `son` | French son and Latin sonus sound family. |
| 98 | 🙏 | POLITENESS / GRATITUDE / ACK | `gra` | Gracias/grazie/gratitude family; compact thanks and polite acknowledgement root. |
| 99 | 🎛️ | CHOOSE / DECIDE | `opt` | Latin optare/option family, choose; control knobs suggest setting or selecting an option. |
| 100 | 👌 | AGREE / COMMIT | `ok` | Global OK, agreement/acceptance; distinct from YES as a truth answer. |

## Notes From Reconciliation

- The old 64-root list has been treated as prior art, not as a direct copy source. Roots kept from that list include `tu`, `ren`, `mo`, `nom`, `go`, `ded`, `fin`, `hai`, `no`, `mal`, `net`, `ma`, `add`, `sin`, `pin`, `tok`, `ver`, `vox`, `ama`, `eek`, `ha`, `sad`, `nap`, `war`, `dar`, `geo`, `wai`, `ahi`, `ki`, `fan`, `oro`, and `son`.
- Several broad old roots were split because the current 100-root vocabulary is more precise. For example, old `hai` covered yes/good; the reconciled list keeps `hai` for YES and uses `bon` for GOOD.
- Earlier passes favored international roots when they were still easy to say. The current pass favors friend-readability when a root was too hard to pronounce or too obscure.
- The icon clarity pass replaced visually weak roots: KIND 🧬, OTHER 👽, OR ↔️, CONTRAST ☯️, SHAPE 🔷, HELP 🛟, CONTAINER 🪣, CHOOSE/DECIDE 🎛️, and AGREE/COMMIT 👌. Root 94 changed from `jar` to `tub`.
- The friend-readability pass changed high-friction spoken roots: `zhe` -> `hic`, `nam` -> `cuz`, `oir` -> `aud`, `mun` -> `doc`, `olf` -> `nos`, `jiu` -> `aid`, `raj` -> `reg`, `kou` -> `maw`, and `xie` -> `gra`.
- Compound meanings such as music, before, after, now, height, material, cover, drink, and taste words remain out of this file because they are built from core roots in `docs/vocabulary.md` and `docs/spec.md`.