'Owheno scratchpad

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Thakowsaizmu
runic
runic
Posts: 2518
Joined: 13 Aug 2010 18:57

'Owheno scratchpad

Post by Thakowsaizmu »

Very chaotic thoughts at the moment, sorry [D;]

I haven't fully worked out the phonology yet, though I have the vowels. This is just something I am toying around with at the moment. Just a few ideas I want to play with, see how it works.

<'owheno> /ʔo̞.ˈʍe̞.n̪o̞/ means "words". It's not likely to be the name of the language, but it's a placeholder for now.

The vowel inventory is <i e o a> /i e̞ o̞ ɑ/. Vowels next to each other have a break or hiatus, so <aa> is /ɑ.ɑ/, and it considered is two separate syllables. All words are stressed on the penultimate syllable. So the stress on <raka> would be /'rɑ.kʰɑ/, whereas <rakea> would be /rɑ.'kʰe̞.ɑ/

The basic syllable structure is CV(CV)(etc). Initially, vowels require a glottal stop <'>, medially the stop isn't written, and usually just a hiatus (like I said above).

The agent / nominative is always marked. The marker also indicates tense and positive/negative.

Sentence structure is somewhat worked out, and is something along the lines of Subject (Indirect) Object Verb (Object) (Instrument). Seems weird, but it makes sense when I played with it. Also, when a verb has no object, it has to take an intransitive infix.

A few examples:

<Ngena lo rakea> I am speaking to you
nge-na lo rak-e-a
1ps-possitive_present_subject 2ps speak-applicative-verb (I don't remember how to gloss infixes and I am pressed for time)
/'ᵑge̞.n̪ɑ 'ɮo̞ rɑ.'kʰe̞.ɑ/

<Ngena rakija> I am speaking
nge-na rak-ij-a
1ps-possitive_present_subject speak-intransitive-verb
/'ᵑge̞.n̪ɑ rɑ.'kʰi.ɟɑ/

<Ngena 'owheno raka> I am speaking words
nge-na 'o-wheno raka
1ps-possitive_present_subject intangible_plural-word speak

<Ngena lo rakea 'owheno> I am speaking words to you
nge-na lo rak-e-a 'o-wheno
1ps-possitive_present_subject 2ps speak-applicative-verb intangible_plural-word

More soon
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kanejam
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Joined: 07 Jun 2013 07:50
Location: NZ

Re: 'Owheno scratchpad

Post by kanejam »

Interesting! There's a pretty clear Swahili/Bantu flavour so far in the phonology and the applicative. I want to see more though!

Infixes use <>, e.g.
rakea
rak<e>a
speak<APPL>

Also, pronouns tend to be either 1s or 1SG, rather than 1ps (assuming the p is just person which is redundant.)
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