 It is acceptable to replace certain closely related sounds with each other, for the sake of simplicity and speed, e. g. "s" for "z", "e" for "ya", "svo" for "stvo", etc.The system is not an alphabetic one, but closer to a syllabic one, though many syllables are normally skipped.Vowels are usually not recorded as separate strokes, but are "marked" via modifying the preceding or following consonant, similarly to an abugida.