Ponish Mechanised
Lesson 1
This is the most basic level of Ponish. It consists of 29 letters, forming a rough equivalent to the Latin alphabet, with 3 more letters which replace what we here on Earth would write with digraphs, namely ‘TH,’ ‘SH,’ and ‘CH.’ Please note that the letters themselves are more streamlined than their Latin counterparts; A, for example has 3 strokes, like so, on the far left:
But in Ponish, the 2 figures to its right, it is written with only 2 strokes, or even 1.
B, as well requires 3, but in Ponish, only 1. Observe:
And those aren’t the only ones which are different. In fact, the entire alphabet is designed with efficiency in mind. Why? Because fewer strokes means less writing, which means both greater speed, and less strain to one’s hand - or mouth as it may be. If you so desire, you can count up the strokes required for the normal Roman letters, and compare them to the number required for their Ponish counterparts via the complete chart below, and see for yourselves just how much writing is being saved with just a new alphabet.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 or  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| X | Y | Z | TH | SH | CH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
You notice that A has 2 ways it can be written. This will be explained later, but the important thing to keep in mind now, and always, is that each way is equally valid. Not only this, but ‘Q’ can mean either ‘Q’ alone, or ‘QU,’ and ‘W’ can mean either ‘W’ alone, or ‘WH.’ You will see this in later examples. Ponies, even those who have mastered the chirographic arts, will mix and match spellings according to their own tastes, and the speed, space, or formality restrictions under which they write.
This may seem strange, but reflect on how, for example, headlines are written on Earth. Articles (a, an, the) can be dropped, capitalization, and punctuation butchered, and sentence fragments twisted to fit rhyme, space, or innuendo. ‘Man Walks on Moon,’ for one well-known instance. If you happen to be knowledgeable about Japanese, the differences between polite, and everyday speaking also provide a similar, illustration.
More on this will come later, but it’s such an important concept that I think it needs to be introduced now: there is no such thing as a wrong spelling , as long as it successfully conveys the intended meaning. File that away in your brain-housing group for later reference.
If you’re wondering, dictionaries, especially those intended to be read by foals, are often written out in their entirety, utilizing none of the abbreviating tricks we will learn later. Ergo, there are official spellings, but unofficial ones are not wrong.
Now, below you will see some samples written out in both orthographic English, and Ponish. The student would do well to copy these, rather than attempt to memorize the alphabet individually. The reason being that the connections in the words themselves will help to solidify the shapes of the letters in her mind, and to avoid the early-stage pitfall of being able to write them in order, but not out of it; ask a child to write the ABCs and they probably can, but ask them to write the ZYXs, or FUTLRs(random) then they’re far less likely to be able to do so, because they’ve only learned them in a specific order, A, then B, then C, and don’t yet possess sufficient facility to shake-n-bake. Writing words, rather than letters from the get-go, will aid you in both learning, and attaining a usable level of skill with the minimum of time, and effort expended.
Examples
Earthographic
The quick cute unicorn jumpedover the lazy gryphon.
Original manual image
Earthographic
The vexed pegasus flew high,and shat on the land-bound Hydra.
Original manual image
Earthographic
The cheery and dutiful earthpony's pie won first place!
Original manual image
All 29 letters are demonstrated above. If you choose to stop your study here, you are missing out, but will still possess a writing method marginally faster than standard English, and likely to prevent casual spying on your journal.
But you really would be missing out!