ODODU is attempting to become a Universal Language. It is constructed to be a continually evolving language which keeps getting closer and closer to the concept of an optimal Universal Language as it evolves. For this to occur in a manageable fashion there needs to be a formal procedure by which the language is constructed, and protocols by which meaning can be assigned to symbols, letters, and words. Procedures also need to be specified for changing the language structure and the meaning assignments as the language evolves in a community of use.
The sign structure of ODODU is simple and can be understood independently of any specific meanings which may be assigned to the individual symbols.
The general rational for this structure is described in The Theoretical Foundations of ODODU. The basic structure itself is as follows:
Begin by assuming that language is the connection between conscious entities and that conscious entities are essentially similar to you and I. Let C1 and C2 be two such conscious entities which are communicating with each other in ODODU. They each construct ODODU in the same way.
From C1's perspective:
The first four letters, the vowels U, I, E, and A, describe the essence of C1. They are the relations and/or dimensions of C1.
The next four letters, the vowels O, Q, Y, and H, describe the essence of C2. They are the relations and/or dimensions of C2 as viewed from the perspective of C1.
The sixteen consonants, D, P, R, B, C, L, T, K, S, G, F, X, N, M, W, and Z each describe how one of the vowels of C2 changes relative to how one of the vowels of C1 changes.
C1 then takes all known experiences, both personal and learned, and assigns them to the consonants. Each consonant will then have a unique collection of experiential meanings and every aspect of all experiences will be assigned to some consonant. This generates sixteen archetypal and very general categories which encompasses all known and knowable experiences for C1.
C2 follows exactly the same process that C1 does and assigns all of C2's experience to the consonants to create C2's archetypal categories. Then C1 and C2 compare their concepts for the vowels and how they allocated their known experiences to the consonants. If there are differences, other than that of individual perspectives, they need to be discussed and some agreement made as to how they will be reconciled. Once there is a common understanding of what and how experience is assigned then C1 and C2 can proceed to word construction. In all aspects of the following presentation this procedure of individual construction and derivation followed by a cooperative collaboration and reconciliation of differences will be followed.
Words are then constructed in the following manner:
All words begin and end with vowels.
The vowel preceding the first consonant is the classifying vowel. It indicates what kind of word it is
The last vowel indicates how the word is used.
The letters between the classifying and last vowel are defined as the core of the word. They specify the meaning of the word.
All consonants must be preceded and followed by a vowel.
No more than two vowels may occur consecutively in a word and this can only occur at the beginning and end of a word.
From these rules a 64 word grammar is constructed. Each word in the grammar contains two vowels. The first vowel specifies one of eight types of words. The last vowel specifies how that word is used in its context.
By combining a core of one consonant, or a consonant vowel combination, with a two vowel grammar word more elaborate words can be constructed. The core is simply inserted between the two vowels of the grammar word which now serves to define a specific grammatical context for that core meaning.
In some cases words may end with two vowels. In this case the first of the ending vowel pair must be a U, I, E, or A. This provides a four fold extension of the word core concept.
The words of ODODU are conceptually organized into Sections according to the degree of specificity which the word possesses. As the number of letters in a word increases the specificity increases. In the case of an archetypal one consonant core word, a Section 1 word, many different experiences are lumped together in a very general category to constitute the meaning of the word.
This one consonant core can be expanded into a Section 2 core by following it with one of the vowels U, I, E, or A, creating four new consonant - vowel cores. These in turn represent four new subcategories of the initial broad category of experience which constituted the one consonant archetypal concept. The cores which end in vowels are thus expansions of the cores which end in consonants.
Section 3 cores are constructed according to a consonant - vowel - consonant format. Here any of the sixteen consonants or eight vowels may be used for any position within the core. This does not represent a more specific expansion of the prior consonant - vowel core but the creation of a new concept constructed by interrelating the two consonant concepts in a manner specified by the interior vowel. The new concept so created will be more specific than the Section 1 or 2 concepts which use one of the same consonants, and while it will be related to them in its meaning, it will be a new concept and not just an expansion of the prior concepts.
When these cores are expanded to Section 4 a new vowel is added to the end of the Section 3 core. However, as before, this new vowel can only be a U, I, E, or A. This again generates a four fold expansion of the prior consonant - vowel - consonant cores.
Section 5 cores then create a new group of concepts which interrelate three consonant concepts in a manner specified by the two interior vowels. Any of the eight vowels can serve as one of these interior vowels.
This process can be repeated indefinitely by expanding any core by adding vowels to the end of prior cores which end with consonants, or by creating new concepts by adding consonants to the end of prior cores which end with vowels. All new cores will always follow the alternating consonant - vowel - consonant - etc. format and all of their individual meanings will be related to, and be more precise and specific than, the preceding core meanings. Thus the pattern is; create new concepts by ending cores with consonants, expand existing concepts by ending cores with vowels.
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To illustrate these Sections and the construction principle let V be any one of the four vowels U, I, E, or A if it occurs at the end of a core and let it represent any of the eight vowels U, I, E, A, O, Q, Y, or H if it occurs within the core. Then let J be any one of the 16 ODODU consonants. The core Sections are:
J
JV
JVJ
JVJV
JVJVJ
JVJVJV
They are organized as concept creation cores or concept expansion cores as follows:
Concept Creation Cores J JVJ JVJVJ JVJVJVJ
Concept Expansion Cores JV JVJV JVJVJV JVJVJVJV
To summarize:
The Alphabet
The Grammar
UU UI UE UA UO UQ UY UH IU II IE IA IO IQ IY IH EU EI EE EA EO EQ EY EH AU AI AE AA AO AQ AY AH OU OI OE OA OO OQ OY OH QU QI QE QA QO QQ QY QH YU YI YE YA YO YQ YY YH HU HI HE HA HO HQ HY HH
The Core Dictionary
J
JV
JVJ
JVJV
JVJVJ
JVJVJV
Where V is any vowel U I E A if it occurs at the end of the core, and any vowel U, I, E, A, O, Q, Y, or H if it occurs in the middle of a core,
and J is any consonant D P R B C L T K S G F X N M W Z
The derivational structure presented above takes very general archetypal concepts and subdivides them into a series of groups of words with each successive group having progressively more specific meanings. This dynamic structure allows us to generate words of arbitrary precision to describe any facet of our experience. We can be as detailed as we want or need to be on any subject by simply creating increasingly precise and powerful words to describe that subject.
To create an evolving language ODODU has taken this dynamic derivational structure and combined it with a pragmatic process which continually assigns and reassigns our experiences to the various symbols of the language. Such a process will automatically incorporate new experiences into the language as they occur or are encountered. The process does not need to change the structure of ODODU, although it may do so, but it does need to periodically reassign meaning over the words of the language. The procedure needs to be done in a formal and managed manner in order for the language to evolve and survive and to optimize the utility of ODODU.
Thus on a periodic basis the following steps need to be taken. This procedure is called QGI ODODU (deriving ODODU).
1. Reexamine the structure of the language and make changes if they are necessary or relevant.
2. Reassign experience and meaning to the symbols and words. This will be done in the following sequence.
A) U I E A. These are the relations and/or dimensions of my perspective of myself.
B) O Q Y H. These are the relations and /or dimensions of my perspective of you or others or the universe.
C) D P R B C L T K S G F X N M W Z. Allocate all known experience to these sixteen consonants to create the most general and broadest archetypal concepts possible.
D) Redefine the 64 two vowel grammatical words. Make sure that the resulting grammar is as complete as possible.
E) Construct the Section 1 words by combining the sixteen consonants with the 64 word grammar. Verify that the constructs deriving from the sixteen archetypes cover all possible experience.
F) Reexamine the rule by which words begin with two leading vowels. The first vowel should qualify the remaining vowel - consonant - vowel word in a consistent and reasonable manner.
G) Construct Section 2 words with cores of a consonant - vowel structure. Do this expansion by applying more detailed and specific experience to each of the one consonant cores and dividing this added specific experience up among the resulting four new consonant - vowel cores which stem from the original consonant. This will extend the specificity and precision of the meaning of the initial one consonant core into four new derivative words.
H) Create new cores with a consonant - vowel - consonant structure. This will derive the Section 3 words.
I) Repeat the G) through H) processes by alternately adding vowels and consonants to the ends of the previously defined cores for as many additional word Sections as you can.
3. Once the derivation of meaning for the ODODU words is complete then begin using the "new" language. This use will in turn generate new experiences which will be useful in the next iteration of the evolutionary derivational process. These new experiences, and any problems or ideas for improvements, should be recorded for use in the next iteration.
4. Use the records made in 3. and repeat the step 1. and 2. processes.