Hawntow Scratchpad

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Znex
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Hawntow Scratchpad

Post by Znex »

Hi everyone, long time no write! I haven't written anything on my conlangs on here for the longest while, though I don't believe it will be much longer before I'm happy to write some stuff about my two recent langs. More info on those later.

For now, this is another new lang which I'm calling for now Project 4-and-2; plainly because I'm working with an experiment of four laryngeal/syllabic consonants and two non-syllabic consonants as an entire sound inventory. Not exactly the most reasonable idea, I admit, but let's say I'm more interested in the forms that come up rather than any "success" of the experiment itself.

Without further ado, here's my sound inventory:
/h j w ʕ/
/n t/

Syllable structure:
CS(C)

Here's some allophony (hopefully the syntax works here):

Code: Select all

/w/
-> [kʷ~gʷ~ⁿgʷ~m] / #_
-> [u] / C_(C)%
	-> [o:] / C_(ʕ)
-> [b] / n_
-> [kʷ] / ʕ%_
-> [pʰ] / h%_

/j/
-> [ts~dz~ⁿdʑ~ɲ] / #_ 
-> [i] / C_(C)%
	-> [e:] / C_(ʕ)
-> [tsʰ] / h%_

/t/
-> [t] / #_
-> [p] / _w
-> [d~ɾ] / C_C
-> [β] / C_w
-> [s] / _y
-> [Tʰ] / _,h

/h/
-> [ç] / #_y
-> [h~∅] / #_
-> [ːʰ] / {hjwʕ}_%
-> [ə] / C_(C)%
-> [a~w~j] / _,ʕ

/ʕ/
-> [∅~ŋ] / #_
-> [ː] / {hjwʕ}_%
-> [a] / C_(C)%
-> [ʔ] / {hjwʕ}%_C

/n/
-> [n] / #_
-> [m] / _w
-> [ɲ] / _j
-> [ɴ] / _#
And some sample word forms:

/th.ʕhh.wʕ/ => tha'aapha
/ʕʕh.yʕ/ => ŋaacha
/yʕ.yw.yy/ => cayui
/ʕʕ.hhn/ => ŋahən
/yw.ʕʕy.hyʕ.whh/ => cōʔayhēwā
/hh.nw.njʕ.twh/ => həmunēβū
/ʕh.ʕjt/ => ŋaʔit
/tj.hj.wʕt/ => sihiwat
/twʕ.hʕh.tʕʕ.hj/ => pōwāthāi.
Last edited by Znex on 14 Oct 2018 12:34, edited 1 time in total.
:eng: : [tick] | :grc: : [:|] | :chn: :isr: :wls: : [:S] | :deu: :ell: :rus: : [:x]
Conlangs: Hawntow, Yorkish, misc.
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eldin raigmore
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Re: Project 4-and-2 Scratchpad

Post by eldin raigmore »

What does the S stand for in your CS(C) syllable skeleton?

Have you no vowels?
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Znex
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Re: Project 4-and-2 Scratchpad

Post by Znex »

eldin raigmore wrote: 27 Apr 2018 16:35 What does the S stand for in your CS(C) syllable skeleton?

Have you no vowels?
Yep, that's the idea. Or at least, no phonemic vowels. The four syllabic consonants all double as vowels.
:eng: : [tick] | :grc: : [:|] | :chn: :isr: :wls: : [:S] | :deu: :ell: :rus: : [:x]
Conlangs: Hawntow, Yorkish, misc.
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Znex
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Re: Project 4-and-2 Scratchpad

Post by Znex »

Refined allophony rules, plus some new general rules:

Code: Select all

[-gutt,-nasal] > [-vcd] / #_
[-gutt,-nasal] > [-vcd,+asp] / h%_
[-vcd] > [+vcd] / N_
	[-vcd] > [+vcd] / C_ except where /t j/ > [s]
[+cont] > [+syl] / C_(C)%

/w/
-> [k~kʷ~gʷ~ⁿgʷ~m] / #_
-> [u] / C_(C)%
	-> [o:] / C_ʕ
	-> [ɨ] / j_%, C_[-tone]%ʕ
-> [g(ʷ)] / n%_, t%_, ʕ%_
-> [pʰ] / h%_
-> [w] / %_
-> ∅ / _n[-tone]%

/j/
-> [ts~tɕ~dz~ⁿdʑ~ɲ] / #_ 
-> [i] / C_(C)%
	-> [e:] / C_ʕ
	-> [ɨ] / w_%, C_[-tone]%ʕ
-> [dz~dʑ] / n%_, ʕ%_
-> [s~ɕ] / t%_
-> [tsʰ~tɕʰ] / h%_
-> [j] / %_
-> ∅ / _n[-tone]%

/t/
-> [p~t~k(ʷ)] / #_
-> [b~d~ɾ~g(ʷ)~w] / C%_C
-> [pʰ~tʰ~k(ʷ)ʰ] / _,h
-> [p~b~k(ʷ)~w] / _w
-> [s~ɕ] / _j

/h/
-> [h~∅] / #_
-> [ːʰ] / C{hjwʕ}_%
-> [ə] / C_(C)%
	-> [a] / ʕ,_
-> [ç] / j,%_
-> [ɸ] / w,%_
-> [h] / %_

/ʕ/
-> [∅~ŋ] / #_
-> [ː] / C{hjwʕ}_%
-> [a] / C_(C)%
-> [ʔˤ] / %_

/n/
-> [n] / #_
-> [m] / _w
-> [ɲ] / _j
-> [ɴ] / _#
-> [n] / _
/th.ʕhh.wʕ/ => [tʰaʔˤaːpʰa]
/ʕʕh.jʕ/ => [ŋaːtɕʰa]
/jʕ.jw.jj/ => [tsadzu(j)i]
/ʕʕ.hhn/ => [ŋahəɴ]
/jw.ʕʕy.hjʕ.whh/ => [tsuʔˤaiçeːgʷaː]
/hh.nw.njʕ.twh/ => [həmuɲeːbuː]
/ʕh.ʕjt/ => [ŋaʔˤit]
/tj.hj.wʕt/ => [siçiwat]
/twʕ.hʕh.tʕʕ.hj/ => [poːhaːtʰaːçi]
:eng: : [tick] | :grc: : [:|] | :chn: :isr: :wls: : [:S] | :deu: :ell: :rus: : [:x]
Conlangs: Hawntow, Yorkish, misc.
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gestaltist
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Re: Project 4-and-2 Scratchpad

Post by gestaltist »

Cool, I always wanted to make a vowelless language. If I may make a suggestion... Have you considered adding epenthetic vowels in addition to C>V allophonies? Perhaps a simple schwa that assimilates to a neighboring consonant or something.
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Znex
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Re: Project 4-and-2 Scratchpad

Post by Znex »

Just sorting out what syllables should be more frequent than others, given the typical frequency distributions found in natural language. Plus these may be useful for mapping a new surface phonemic inventory from the meta-phonology. Treating so far syllables beginning in /t w/ (the phonemic realisations are on the right):

Code: Select all

s~ɕ >
	si		ty/tyt
	si:		tyy/tyh
	se:		tyʔ
	se̯ɵ~se̯ɞ		tyw
	sẽ		tyn

tsʰ~tɕʰ >
	tsʰi		h.ty/h.tyt
	tsʰi:		h.tyy/h.tyh
	tsʰe:		h.tyʔ
	tsʰe̯ɵ~tsʰe̯ɞ	h.tyw
	tsʰẽ		h.tyn

d~ɾ~r >
	dˤa		..tʕ/..tʕt
	dˤa:		..tʕʕ/tʕh
	dˤɐ̯e		..tʕy
	dˤɐ̯o		..tʕw

tʰ >
	tʰə		th/h.th/h.tht
	tʰa:		thh/h.thh/h.tʕʕ/h.tʕh
	tʰɐ̯e		h.tʕy/h.thy
	tʰɐ̯o		h.tʕw/h.thw

b >
	bu		..tw/..twt
	bu:		..tww/..twh
	bo:		..twʕ
	bo̯ɘ~bo̯ɜ		..twj

pʰ > 
	pʰu		h.tw/h.twt
	pʰu:		h.tww/h.twh
	pʰo:		h.twʕ
	pʰo̯ɘ~pʰo̯ɜ	h.twj

gʷ~b >
	gʷa		wʕ/wʕt
	gʷɨ		wy/wyt
	gʷu		ww/wwt
	gʷa:		wʕʕ/wʕh
	gʷɨ:		wyy/wyh
	gʷu:		www/wwh
	gʷe:		wyʕ
	gʷo:		wwʕ
	gʷe̯ɵ~gʷe̯ɞ	wyw
	gʷo̯ɘ~gʷo̯ɜ	wwy

kʷʰ~pʰ >
	kʷʰə		wh/wht/h.wh/h.wht
	kʷʰa		h.wʕ/h.wʕt
	kʷʰɨ		h.wy/h.wyt
	kʷʰu		h.ww/h.wwt
	kʷʰa:		h.wʕʕ/h.wʕh/whh/h.whh/whʕ/h.whʕ
	kʷʰɨ:		h.wyy/h.wyh
	kʷʰu:		h.www/h.wwh
	kʷʰe:		h.wyʕ
	kʷʰo:		h.wwʕ
	kʷʰe̯ɵ~kʷʰe̯ɞ	h.wyw
	kʷʰo̯ɘ~kʷʰo̯ɜ	h.wwy
Any feedback? What realisations should I change to mix things up (could maybe treat the labiovelars like in Greek for instance)? Any particular distributions that strike you as interesting or peculiar?
:eng: : [tick] | :grc: : [:|] | :chn: :isr: :wls: : [:S] | :deu: :ell: :rus: : [:x]
Conlangs: Hawntow, Yorkish, misc.
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Znex
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Re: Hawntow Scratchpad

Post by Znex »

The face of 4-and-2 has changed quite a bit since I last wrote in here, so I'm just gonna go through a quick revision of what I had already plus some new features that will be expanded upon again.

First off 4-and-2 is now known as

Hawntow [ɸɐ̂õ̯n(ə̃)tǒː] I wonder if you can guess where I got the name from? :P

Hawntow is the last living language of the endangered Punti family spoken on the Auaga Islands near Papua New Guinea. In common with its extinct cousins, it is a nominative-accusative polysynthetic language with SOV (if not free) word order. It notably has a extremely small consonantal inventory, varying between six and perhaps twice its number depending on analysis. It is also known for its unique pharyngeal consonant, which has arisen without any known Arabic influence or the like.

It has two orthographies based on the English alphabet: the common Hawntow alphabet (often known plainly as Pauntuu) and the Richards missionary alphabet, where the spelling "Hawntow" originates, which has shrunk considerably in usage since the recent introduction of the Pauntuu alphabet. There is also a third orthography based on the undeciphered Tiua script, which itself originates on Seyyautë Island.

Phonology (to be continued)
:eng: : [tick] | :grc: : [:|] | :chn: :isr: :wls: : [:S] | :deu: :ell: :rus: : [:x]
Conlangs: Hawntow, Yorkish, misc.
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Re: Hawntow Scratchpad

Post by shimobaatar »

Znex wrote: 14 Oct 2018 12:34 Hawntow [ɸɐ̂õ̯n(ə̃)tǒː] I wonder if you can guess where I got the name from? :P
I don't think I can, I'm afraid, but I'm definitely intrigued! I like the backstory/setting you've come up with!
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