Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread [2011–2018]
- DesEsseintes
- mongolian
- Posts: 4331
- Joined: 31 Mar 2013 13:16
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
Two phonology sketches for Caddoan-inspired languages with clicks
Language 1: This one is based on Pawnee but I removed the velars and the sibilants. This one is quite typologically unusual.
/m n/
/p t ʔ/
/h/
/ɾ w/
/ᵑʘ ᵑǀ ᵑǁ/
/ʘˀ ǀˀ ǁˀ/
/a e i ɨ o/
Language 2: The pulmonic consonants here are strictly based on Wichita, except that I removed /j/.
/n/
/t t͡s k kʷ ʔ/
/s h/
/r w/
/ᵑǀ ᵑǁ ᵑ!/
/ǀˀ ǁˀ !ˀ/
/a i ɨ o/
Notes:
- for both inventories, I picture nasalises clicks to be the "basic" series; in fact I might remove the glottalised clicks as phonemes and have them be the result of click + glottal stop clusters (or possibly glottal stop + click clusters as clicks are likely to always be morpheme-initial while glottals are often morpheme-final); I could use the same method to get aspirated clicks. Alternatively, I might just add phonemic aspirated clicks.
This is my first foray into clicks so I'm very much open to others' suggestions, advice, etc.
Language 1: This one is based on Pawnee but I removed the velars and the sibilants. This one is quite typologically unusual.
/m n/
/p t ʔ/
/h/
/ɾ w/
/ᵑʘ ᵑǀ ᵑǁ/
/ʘˀ ǀˀ ǁˀ/
/a e i ɨ o/
Language 2: The pulmonic consonants here are strictly based on Wichita, except that I removed /j/.
/n/
/t t͡s k kʷ ʔ/
/s h/
/r w/
/ᵑǀ ᵑǁ ᵑ!/
/ǀˀ ǁˀ !ˀ/
/a i ɨ o/
Notes:
- for both inventories, I picture nasalises clicks to be the "basic" series; in fact I might remove the glottalised clicks as phonemes and have them be the result of click + glottal stop clusters (or possibly glottal stop + click clusters as clicks are likely to always be morpheme-initial while glottals are often morpheme-final); I could use the same method to get aspirated clicks. Alternatively, I might just add phonemic aspirated clicks.
This is my first foray into clicks so I'm very much open to others' suggestions, advice, etc.
-
- sinic
- Posts: 401
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- Location: Buffalo, NY
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
A language has this simple vowel inventory:
/i iː e eː a aː o oː u uː/
/au̯ ai̯/
It undergoes a process of i-umlaut, with the following vowels shifting in the umlaut environment:
/u uː/ > /y yː/
/o oː/ > /ø øː/
/a aː/ > /e eː/
/au̯ ai̯/ > /øy̯ ei̯/
The conditioning environment is lost, the front round vowels then merge into their unrounded equivalents, /ei̯/ (including historical /øy̯/) is smoothed to /eː/ (or maybe becomes /ai̯/ in some dialects).
So now we have the following alternations serving various grammatical purposes:
u(ː) > i(ː)
o(ː) > e(ː)
a(ː) > e(ː)
au̯ ai̯ > eː (or maybe ai̯)
This was of course inspired by Germanic i-umlaut.
A major vowel shift then occurs where long back vowels are fronted, and long front vowels are broken. This is inspired by various vowel shifts in Modern English, and as such, it's unconditional, except maybe not completely unconditional because there's always weird, sometimes word-by-word exceptions to vowel shifts in English. But I'll be treating it as unconditional since I haven't figured out the details, or even what this language is. Oh, and contrastive vowel length is lost and some things happen with the diphthongs.
/uː/ > /y/
/oː/ > /ø/
/iː/ > either /iʲe/ or /iʲə/ or /je/, I haven't decided yet. (I'll just go with the second option for now.)
/eː/ > either /eʲa/ or /eʲə/ or /ja/ (likewise)
/aː/ > /ɔ/
/au̯ ai̯/ > /œ ɛ/
The contrast between the mid-high and mid-low vowels is then shifted to a monopthong-dipthong contrast as in Spanish, resulting in /ɛ/ shifting back to its previous state:
/ɔ œ ɛ/ > /au̯ ay̯ ai̯/ (well, /ay̯/ actually either shifts back up to /øy̯/ or maybe it wasn't even lowered that far to begin with)
So now this language has the following vowel inventory, with the following alternations:
/i y u/
/e ø o/
/a/
/iʲə eʲə/
/au̯ øy̯ ai̯/
/y/ > /iʲə/
/u/ > /i/
/ø/ > /eʲə/
/o/ > /e/
/au̯/ > /eʲə/
/a/ > /e/
/øy̯ ai̯/ > /eʲə/
These alternations, by this time, are quite old, and are largely not productive anymore, but they do still appear extensively throughout the language's grammar, much as in English.
I had initially conceived of a historical orthography, based on the stage after the loss of the original front rounded vowels. I was thinking of this orthography in a historical setting, if perhaps this language was given an orthography around 1200 AD in northern Europe - perhaps if it was a Germanic language. It would look like this:
<a â> /a au̯/
<e ê> /e eʲə/
<i î> /i iʲə/
<o ô> /o ø/
<u û> /u y/
<ai au> /ai̯ øy̯/
But another orthography I might use, if this language didn't have a historical setting, or if it was given an orthography later in history, like Finnish, and was thus a much shallower orthography:
<a> /a/
<o ö> /o ø/
<u ü> /u y/
<i> /i/
<e> /e/
<ia ea> /iʲə eʲə/
<ai au öü> /ai̯ au̯ øy̯/
This orthography also has the benefit of showcasing the rather extensive vowel changes, such as (given a hypothetical word) singular/plural köüt/keat and müz/miaz vs. kaut/kêt and mûz/mîz.
This does kind of seem like a good idea for a Germanic language, but Proto-Germanic has a vowel system a moderate bit different from the one I'm starting with here, and late Proto-Germanic vowel changes are rather fiddly and complicated, so I'm not sure I want to force this system to fit into the Germanic mold. I dunno. I do kind of want to give it a historical European setting, but I feel lazy for just making it an isolate.
/i iː e eː a aː o oː u uː/
/au̯ ai̯/
It undergoes a process of i-umlaut, with the following vowels shifting in the umlaut environment:
/u uː/ > /y yː/
/o oː/ > /ø øː/
/a aː/ > /e eː/
/au̯ ai̯/ > /øy̯ ei̯/
The conditioning environment is lost, the front round vowels then merge into their unrounded equivalents, /ei̯/ (including historical /øy̯/) is smoothed to /eː/ (or maybe becomes /ai̯/ in some dialects).
So now we have the following alternations serving various grammatical purposes:
u(ː) > i(ː)
o(ː) > e(ː)
a(ː) > e(ː)
au̯ ai̯ > eː (or maybe ai̯)
This was of course inspired by Germanic i-umlaut.
A major vowel shift then occurs where long back vowels are fronted, and long front vowels are broken. This is inspired by various vowel shifts in Modern English, and as such, it's unconditional, except maybe not completely unconditional because there's always weird, sometimes word-by-word exceptions to vowel shifts in English. But I'll be treating it as unconditional since I haven't figured out the details, or even what this language is. Oh, and contrastive vowel length is lost and some things happen with the diphthongs.
/uː/ > /y/
/oː/ > /ø/
/iː/ > either /iʲe/ or /iʲə/ or /je/, I haven't decided yet. (I'll just go with the second option for now.)
/eː/ > either /eʲa/ or /eʲə/ or /ja/ (likewise)
/aː/ > /ɔ/
/au̯ ai̯/ > /œ ɛ/
The contrast between the mid-high and mid-low vowels is then shifted to a monopthong-dipthong contrast as in Spanish, resulting in /ɛ/ shifting back to its previous state:
/ɔ œ ɛ/ > /au̯ ay̯ ai̯/ (well, /ay̯/ actually either shifts back up to /øy̯/ or maybe it wasn't even lowered that far to begin with)
So now this language has the following vowel inventory, with the following alternations:
/i y u/
/e ø o/
/a/
/iʲə eʲə/
/au̯ øy̯ ai̯/
/y/ > /iʲə/
/u/ > /i/
/ø/ > /eʲə/
/o/ > /e/
/au̯/ > /eʲə/
/a/ > /e/
/øy̯ ai̯/ > /eʲə/
These alternations, by this time, are quite old, and are largely not productive anymore, but they do still appear extensively throughout the language's grammar, much as in English.
I had initially conceived of a historical orthography, based on the stage after the loss of the original front rounded vowels. I was thinking of this orthography in a historical setting, if perhaps this language was given an orthography around 1200 AD in northern Europe - perhaps if it was a Germanic language. It would look like this:
<a â> /a au̯/
<e ê> /e eʲə/
<i î> /i iʲə/
<o ô> /o ø/
<u û> /u y/
<ai au> /ai̯ øy̯/
But another orthography I might use, if this language didn't have a historical setting, or if it was given an orthography later in history, like Finnish, and was thus a much shallower orthography:
<a> /a/
<o ö> /o ø/
<u ü> /u y/
<i> /i/
<e> /e/
<ia ea> /iʲə eʲə/
<ai au öü> /ai̯ au̯ øy̯/
This orthography also has the benefit of showcasing the rather extensive vowel changes, such as (given a hypothetical word) singular/plural köüt/keat and müz/miaz vs. kaut/kêt and mûz/mîz.
This does kind of seem like a good idea for a Germanic language, but Proto-Germanic has a vowel system a moderate bit different from the one I'm starting with here, and late Proto-Germanic vowel changes are rather fiddly and complicated, so I'm not sure I want to force this system to fit into the Germanic mold. I dunno. I do kind of want to give it a historical European setting, but I feel lazy for just making it an isolate.
- Creyeditor
- MVP
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Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
I like the second one better. I feel like a proper phonology for labial clicks is really difficult to accomplish and if you are just starting to work on clicks, you may want to avoid them. I really like the sound of them, but I myself have difficulties.DesEsseintes wrote:Two phonology sketches for Caddoan-inspired languages with clicks
Language 1: This one is based on Pawnee but I removed the velars and the sibilants. This one is quite typologically unusual.
/m n/
/p t ʔ/
/h/
/ɾ w/
/ᵑʘ ᵑǀ ᵑǁ/
/ʘˀ ǀˀ ǁˀ/
/a e i ɨ o/
Language 2: The pulmonic consonants here are strictly based on Wichita, except that I removed /j/.
/n/
/t t͡s k kʷ ʔ/
/s h/
/r w/
/ᵑǀ ᵑǁ ᵑ!/
/ǀˀ ǁˀ !ˀ/
/a i ɨ o/
Notes:
- for both inventories, I picture nasalises clicks to be the "basic" series; in fact I might remove the glottalised clicks as phonemes and have them be the result of click + glottal stop clusters (or possibly glottal stop + click clusters as clicks are likely to always be morpheme-initial while glottals are often morpheme-final); I could use the same method to get aspirated clicks. Alternatively, I might just add phonemic aspirated clicks.
This is my first foray into clicks so I'm very much open to others' suggestions, advice, etc.
Creyeditor
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Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
You mean people should be able to pronounce their conlangs?Creyeditor wrote:I like the second one better. I feel like a proper phonology for labial clicks is really difficult to accomplish and if you are just starting to work on clicks, you may want to avoid them. I really like the sound of them, but I myself have difficulties.DesEsseintes wrote:Two phonology sketches for Caddoan-inspired languages with clicks
Language 1: This one is based on Pawnee but I removed the velars and the sibilants. This one is quite typologically unusual.
/m n/
/p t ʔ/
/h/
/ɾ w/
/ᵑʘ ᵑǀ ᵑǁ/
/ʘˀ ǀˀ ǁˀ/
/a e i ɨ o/
Language 2: The pulmonic consonants here are strictly based on Wichita, except that I removed /j/.
/n/
/t t͡s k kʷ ʔ/
/s h/
/r w/
/ᵑǀ ᵑǁ ᵑ!/
/ǀˀ ǁˀ !ˀ/
/a i ɨ o/
Notes:
- for both inventories, I picture nasalises clicks to be the "basic" series; in fact I might remove the glottalised clicks as phonemes and have them be the result of click + glottal stop clusters (or possibly glottal stop + click clusters as clicks are likely to always be morpheme-initial while glottals are often morpheme-final); I could use the same method to get aspirated clicks. Alternatively, I might just add phonemic aspirated clicks.
This is my first foray into clicks so I'm very much open to others' suggestions, advice, etc.
My meta-thread: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5760
- Creyeditor
- MVP
- Posts: 5091
- Joined: 14 Aug 2012 19:32
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
People (that are into naturalistic artlanging, like I suppose Des is, 'cause he usually is) should be able to construct their phonotactics and segmental inventories in a sensible way. Since the labial click is rare in natlangs and there are not that many obvious examples of good descriptions of its natlang phonotactics etc, it is at least an advanced level click compared to other click consonants, IMHO. Maybe even expert level.
Knowing how to pronounce a conlang is more important to me than actually being able to pronounce the conlang.
Knowing how to pronounce a conlang is more important to me than actually being able to pronounce the conlang.
Creyeditor
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Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
Not sure about this one. The idea is to have a three (or two) way distinction between unvoiced, voided and creaky (or plain and creaky) consonants.
N
/ m̥ n̥ ŋ̥ / mh nh gh
/ m n ŋ / m n ng
/ m̰ n̰ ŋ̰ / mr nr ngr
P
/ p t k / p t k
/ ɓ ɗ ɠ / b d g
/ b̰ d̰ g̰ / br dr gr
L
/ ɸ ɬ h / f ł h
/ ɥ l~ɹ ɰ / y l w
/ ɥ̰ l̰~ɹ̰ ɰ̰ / yr lr wr
/ɸ ɬ h/ act as the unvoiced counterparts to /ɥ l~ɹ ɰ/. I might also change /ɥ/ to /w/.
The vowels follow from the approximates. Probably something like this:
/ i y ɯ u / i y ı u
/ e o / e o
/ a ɒ / a å
With front-back and/or rounding harmony.
There are two types of syllables, vowel based and nasal based, which only occur in certain environments. Consonant clusters agree in voicing and creaky voice.
a: (C)(L)V(L/N)
b: (L)(N)
Possible words:
a, b, aa, ab, aaa, aab, aaaa, aaab, abab...
N
/ m̥ n̥ ŋ̥ / mh nh gh
/ m n ŋ / m n ng
/ m̰ n̰ ŋ̰ / mr nr ngr
P
/ p t k / p t k
/ ɓ ɗ ɠ / b d g
/ b̰ d̰ g̰ / br dr gr
L
/ ɸ ɬ h / f ł h
/ ɥ l~ɹ ɰ / y l w
/ ɥ̰ l̰~ɹ̰ ɰ̰ / yr lr wr
/ɸ ɬ h/ act as the unvoiced counterparts to /ɥ l~ɹ ɰ/. I might also change /ɥ/ to /w/.
The vowels follow from the approximates. Probably something like this:
/ i y ɯ u / i y ı u
/ e o / e o
/ a ɒ / a å
With front-back and/or rounding harmony.
There are two types of syllables, vowel based and nasal based, which only occur in certain environments. Consonant clusters agree in voicing and creaky voice.
a: (C)(L)V(L/N)
b: (L)(N)
Possible words:
a, b, aa, ab, aaa, aab, aaaa, aaab, abab...
- DesEsseintes
- mongolian
- Posts: 4331
- Joined: 31 Mar 2013 13:16
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
Although I see your point, and kinda agree, the fact that labial clicks are only attested in a handful of languages that all (to my knowledge, at least) have huge phoneme inventories, the only way to have them in a small inventory, as is my purpose, is to experiment. Otherwise, you will never have them ever, and that would be a shame.Creyeditor wrote:I like the second one better. I feel like a proper phonology for labial clicks is really difficult to accomplish and if you are just starting to work on clicks, you may want to avoid them. I really like the sound of them, but I myself have difficulties.
People (that are into naturalistic artlanging, like I suppose Des is, 'cause he usually is) should be able to construct their phonotactics and segmental inventories in a sensible way. Since the labial click is rare in natlangs and there are not that many obvious examples of good descriptions of its natlang phonotactics etc, it is at least an advanced level click compared to other click consonants, IMHO. Maybe even expert level.
I have no idea what this means.Knowing how to pronounce a conlang is more important to me than actually being able to pronounce the conlang.
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
OKDesEsseintes wrote:Although I see your point, and kinda agree, the fact that labial clicks are only attested in a handful of languages that all (to my knowledge, at least) have huge phoneme inventories, the only way to have them in a small inventory, as is my purpose, is to experiment. Otherwise, you will never have them ever, and that would be a shame.Creyeditor wrote:I like the second one better. I feel like a proper phonology for labial clicks is really difficult to accomplish and if you are just starting to work on clicks, you may want to avoid them. I really like the sound of them, but I myself have difficulties.
People (that are into naturalistic artlanging, like I suppose Des is, 'cause he usually is) should be able to construct their phonotactics and segmental inventories in a sensible way. Since the labial click is rare in natlangs and there are not that many obvious examples of good descriptions of its natlang phonotactics etc, it is at least an advanced level click compared to other click consonants, IMHO. Maybe even expert level.
I don't have that much knowledge of phonotactics or allophony of clicks that I could say anything sensible.
I would just suppose they behave like other clicks - what ever that is.
I think I do.I have no idea what this means.Knowing how to pronounce a conlang is more important to me than actually being able to pronounce the conlang.
Phonemes of a conlang aren't just symbols in the description. They mean something. You don't have to be able to pronounce them but they have to have a meaning for you.
My meta-thread: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5760
- Creyeditor
- MVP
- Posts: 5091
- Joined: 14 Aug 2012 19:32
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
I am really interested in seeing the resultsDesEsseintes wrote:Although I see your point, and kinda agree, the fact that labial clicks are only attested in a handful of languages that all (to my knowledge, at least) have huge phoneme inventories, the only way to have them in a small inventory, as is my purpose, is to experiment. Otherwise, you will never have them ever, and that would be a shame.Creyeditor wrote:I like the second one better. I feel like a proper phonology for labial clicks is really difficult to accomplish and if you are just starting to work on clicks, you may want to avoid them. I really like the sound of them, but I myself have difficulties.
People (that are into naturalistic artlanging, like I suppose Des is, 'cause he usually is) should be able to construct their phonotactics and segmental inventories in a sensible way. Since the labial click is rare in natlangs and there are not that many obvious examples of good descriptions of its natlang phonotactics etc, it is at least an advanced level click compared to other click consonants, IMHO. Maybe even expert level.
True. If you can give a short description of each sound in your conlang, this is enough for me.I think I do.I have no idea what this means.Knowing how to pronounce a conlang is more important to me than actually being able to pronounce the conlang.
Phonemes of a conlang aren't just symbols in the description. They mean something. You don't have to be able to pronounce them but they have to have a meaning for you.
Creyeditor
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- DesEsseintes
- mongolian
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- Joined: 31 Mar 2013 13:16
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
Thinking about the irregular quadrilateral shape of the vowel space, I had this idea for a vowel system with harmony that distinguishes four dimensions of front-back but only two heights. Rounding is considered an extra level of backness in this system.
I find distinguishing [ænɨn] and [ɑnɯn] deeply satisfying. If I manage to revive Sōkoan one day, I might use this system for it. The only problem is that I'll most likely fail to come up with a satisfactory orthography for all those high vowels.
Code: Select all
← back front →
ɔ ɑ æ e
u ɯ ɨ i
- Creyeditor
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Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
Some ideas:DesEsseintes wrote:[...]
← back front →
ɔ ɑ æ e
u ɯ ɨ i
[/code]
[...] The only problem is that I'll most likely fail to come up with a satisfactory orthography for all those high vowels.
<u û î i>
<u ï ı i>
<w u i y>
<u ı y i>
<ó u i é>
<u á y i>
Creyeditor
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- Frislander
- mayan
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Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
Actually I honestly think <w u y i> is better.Creyeditor wrote:<w u i y>
My alternative ideas:
<u ũ y i>
<u w y i>
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
ɔ ɑ æ e <o a æ e> <o a ɛ e>
u ɯ ɨ i <u ɯ y ı> <u ᵻ ʉ ı>
u ɯ ɨ i <u ɯ y ı> <u ᵻ ʉ ı>
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
Consonants (21 ~ 28)
p t d k g
tˤ kˤ
f
s sˤ (z zˤ)
ʃ ʃˤ (ʒ ʒˤ)
ɬ ɬˤ (ɮ ɮˤ)
l lˤ
rˤ~ʁ
j w
m n
Vowels (6)
i i: a a: u u:
or, more accurately, this:
ɪ i: ə a:~ɒ: ʊ u:
Vowels become pharyngeal after a pharyngeal consonant.
Pharyngeals may be realised as ejectives.
/lˤ/ may be realised as a [ɫ].
/ɬ ɬˤ/ become [ɮ ɮˤ] after a voiced consonant or intervocallically.
/s sˤ/ become [z zˤ] after a voiced consonant or intervocallically.
/ʃ ʃˤ/ become [ʒ ʒˤ] after a voiced consonant or intervocallically.
/p/ becomes intervocallically.
/p t k/ are (usually) strongly aspirated word initially
...etcetera. I haven't really finished everything yet.
p t d k g
tˤ kˤ
f
s sˤ (z zˤ)
ʃ ʃˤ (ʒ ʒˤ)
ɬ ɬˤ (ɮ ɮˤ)
l lˤ
rˤ~ʁ
j w
m n
Vowels (6)
i i: a a: u u:
or, more accurately, this:
ɪ i: ə a:~ɒ: ʊ u:
Vowels become pharyngeal after a pharyngeal consonant.
Pharyngeals may be realised as ejectives.
/lˤ/ may be realised as a [ɫ].
/ɬ ɬˤ/ become [ɮ ɮˤ] after a voiced consonant or intervocallically.
/s sˤ/ become [z zˤ] after a voiced consonant or intervocallically.
/ʃ ʃˤ/ become [ʒ ʒˤ] after a voiced consonant or intervocallically.
/p/ becomes intervocallically.
/p t k/ are (usually) strongly aspirated word initially
...etcetera. I haven't really finished everything yet.
What can I say? I like making stuff up.
Lofdǣdum sceal in mǣgþa gehƿǣre man geþeon.
Lofdǣdum sceal in mǣgþa gehƿǣre man geþeon.
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
/m n/
/pː tː cː kː/
/p t c k/
/ts̪ s̪ ts̠ s̠/
/l ʎ j/
<m n>
<p t kj k>
<b d gj g>
<tz z ts s>
<l lj j>
I don't like the vowel system I originally attached to this, but what really matters is that there are diphthongs and that long vowels contrast with short vowels. The details of phonotactics are also still uncertain, but I do know that consonant clusters are limited to three consonants intervocalically and in auslaut but limited to two consonants in anlaut, and vowels may not appear in hiatus.
The fortis plosives /pː tː cː kː/ are pronounced geminate intervocalically and in auslaut. In anlaut and in consonant clusters, they simplify to [p t c k]. The lenis plosives /p t c k/ are voiced [b d ɟ g] in anlaut, intervocalically, and in clusters with voiced consonants; in auslaut, they are [p t c k]. After the sibilants, the contrast between fortis and lenis is neutralized and both sequences are pronounced [p t c k]. The fortis sibilants /ts̪ ts̠/ remain affricates intervocalically and in auslaut and simplify to [s̪ s̠] in anlaut and consonant clusters; the lenis sibilants /s̪ s̠/ are voiced [z̪ ẕ] under the same conditions as the lenis plosives. Clusters containing two sibilants are disallowed.
Words have a particular tone pattern, which is determined by three processes. First, all initial syllables receive tone. If the syllable contains a short vowel, it receives high tone; if the syllable contains a long vowel or diphthong, it may receive either rising or falling tone (i.e., either the first or second mora can be given high tone, and the other mora takes on a low tone). Then, a penultimate syllable with either a long vowel/diphthong or a short vowel followed by at least two consonants receives tone: high if the vowel is short, falling if the vowel is long/a diphthong. (All fortis consonants pattern as singletons, regardless of their realization). If the penultimate syllable does not meet these criteria, the antepenult receives tone: high if its nucleus is short, rising otherwise. Finally, if two adjacent syllables have tone, then the first syllable's tone is changed to ensure any adjacent tone segments are identical (e.g., a rising tone followed by a falling tone is left unchanged, but a falling tone followed by a falling tone becomes rising, and a high tone followed by a rising tone becomes low). Any syllables not given tone by the above rules remain toneless.
I also want to have some restriction on the number of toneless syllables that can occur sequentially in a word but still need to figure out exactly how such sequences would be handled if they arise due to affixing.
Within clusters and in adjacent syllables, coronals harmonize right-to-left between the classes /tː t ts̪ s̪ l/ and /cː c ts̠ s̠ ʎ/.
A few examples (just using the vowels /e eː ei/ <e ee ei> for example's sake):
/éltːeim/ [élteim] <elteim>
/éːlteim/ [èéldeim] <eéldeim>
/s̠êːces̠/ [ẕéèɟes̠] <séegjes>
/kéìpés̠cːe/ [gèíbés̠ce] <géibeskje>
/kéìpés̠cːe/ + /tme/ (a suffix) [géìbes̪tédme] <géibeztedme>
/tːléːn/ [tleén] <tleén>
/tnékː/ [dnékː] <dnek>
(On second thought, I may leave tone unwritten; it's probably minimally contrastive.)
<u y ÿ i>
<å a æ e>
<ů u y i>
/pː tː cː kː/
/p t c k/
/ts̪ s̪ ts̠ s̠/
/l ʎ j/
<m n>
<p t kj k>
<b d gj g>
<tz z ts s>
<l lj j>
I don't like the vowel system I originally attached to this, but what really matters is that there are diphthongs and that long vowels contrast with short vowels. The details of phonotactics are also still uncertain, but I do know that consonant clusters are limited to three consonants intervocalically and in auslaut but limited to two consonants in anlaut, and vowels may not appear in hiatus.
The fortis plosives /pː tː cː kː/ are pronounced geminate intervocalically and in auslaut. In anlaut and in consonant clusters, they simplify to [p t c k]. The lenis plosives /p t c k/ are voiced [b d ɟ g] in anlaut, intervocalically, and in clusters with voiced consonants; in auslaut, they are [p t c k]. After the sibilants, the contrast between fortis and lenis is neutralized and both sequences are pronounced [p t c k]. The fortis sibilants /ts̪ ts̠/ remain affricates intervocalically and in auslaut and simplify to [s̪ s̠] in anlaut and consonant clusters; the lenis sibilants /s̪ s̠/ are voiced [z̪ ẕ] under the same conditions as the lenis plosives. Clusters containing two sibilants are disallowed.
Words have a particular tone pattern, which is determined by three processes. First, all initial syllables receive tone. If the syllable contains a short vowel, it receives high tone; if the syllable contains a long vowel or diphthong, it may receive either rising or falling tone (i.e., either the first or second mora can be given high tone, and the other mora takes on a low tone). Then, a penultimate syllable with either a long vowel/diphthong or a short vowel followed by at least two consonants receives tone: high if the vowel is short, falling if the vowel is long/a diphthong. (All fortis consonants pattern as singletons, regardless of their realization). If the penultimate syllable does not meet these criteria, the antepenult receives tone: high if its nucleus is short, rising otherwise. Finally, if two adjacent syllables have tone, then the first syllable's tone is changed to ensure any adjacent tone segments are identical (e.g., a rising tone followed by a falling tone is left unchanged, but a falling tone followed by a falling tone becomes rising, and a high tone followed by a rising tone becomes low). Any syllables not given tone by the above rules remain toneless.
I also want to have some restriction on the number of toneless syllables that can occur sequentially in a word but still need to figure out exactly how such sequences would be handled if they arise due to affixing.
Within clusters and in adjacent syllables, coronals harmonize right-to-left between the classes /tː t ts̪ s̪ l/ and /cː c ts̠ s̠ ʎ/.
A few examples (just using the vowels /e eː ei/ <e ee ei> for example's sake):
/éltːeim/ [élteim] <elteim>
/éːlteim/ [èéldeim] <eéldeim>
/s̠êːces̠/ [ẕéèɟes̠] <séegjes>
/kéìpés̠cːe/ [gèíbés̠ce] <géibeskje>
/kéìpés̠cːe/ + /tme/ (a suffix) [géìbes̪tédme] <géibeztedme>
/tːléːn/ [tleén] <tleén>
/tnékː/ [dnékː] <dnek>
(On second thought, I may leave tone unwritten; it's probably minimally contrastive.)
<o a ä e>DesEsseintes wrote:/ɔ ɑ æ e/
/u ɯ ɨ i/
<u y ÿ i>
<å a æ e>
<ů u y i>
Last edited by Clio on 31 Dec 2017 23:44, edited 7 times in total.
- LinguoFranco
- greek
- Posts: 613
- Joined: 20 Jul 2016 17:49
- Location: U.S.
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
What do you think of tovo [toβo] becoming otsovo [otsoβo] or [otɕoβo]?
I ask because there is no /s/ in my conlang, but there is /ɕ/, but it is written as <s>. I find the sound change believable, but I quite like /ɕ/ being written as <s>, and I'm already using <x> for /x/.
I hope I'm using // and <> right this time.
I ask because there is no /s/ in my conlang, but there is /ɕ/, but it is written as <s>. I find the sound change believable, but I quite like /ɕ/ being written as <s>, and I'm already using <x> for /x/.
I hope I'm using // and <> right this time.
- DesEsseintes
- mongolian
- Posts: 4331
- Joined: 31 Mar 2013 13:16
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
And now I'm thinking this might be more fun:DesEsseintes wrote:Thinking about the irregular quadrilateral shape of the vowel space, I had this idea for a vowel system with harmony that distinguishes four dimensions of front-back but only two heights. Rounding is considered an extra level of backness in this system.I find distinguishing [ænɨn] and [ɑnɯn] deeply satisfying. If I manage to revive Sōkoan one day, I might use this system for it. The only problem is that I'll most likely fail to come up with a satisfactory orthography for all those high vowels.Code: Select all
← back front → ɔ ɑ æ e u ɯ ɨ i
Code: Select all
← back front →
o ʌ a ɛ e
u ɯ ɨ i
Also, thanks for all the orthography suggestions, Creyeditor et al. The matter is being given due consideration.
- Frislander
- mayan
- Posts: 2088
- Joined: 14 May 2016 18:47
- Location: The North
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
Time for more Algonquian fun!
First one: what if we mix Cheyenne and Pawnee?
/t k ʔ/ <t k '>
/s h/ <s h>
/r~n j w/ <r~n y w>
/e a o/ <e a o>
There is a high-low tone distinction, marked by the presence and absence of an acute in the romanisation respectively.
The phoneme /r~n/ is realised as [n] word-initially, before consonants, when geminated and word-finally and [r] elsewhere.
Syllable structure is (C)V(C) where any consonant may appear word-finally but only /ʔ n/ are stable word-internal codas. There are no restrictions on vowel-clusters.
Sound changes:
C//#_G
e/i/#_(T)C
w[ea]/o/C_
y[ei]/i/C_
ya/e/C_
we/o/#_
ye/i/#_
ya/ye/#_
G//C_
/'/_V·
·//_
V//_#/CC_
G//_#
o/i/_
a/o/_
e/a/_
i/e/_
[hθsxš]/ʔ/_C
s/h/_
θ/r/_
k//_
p/k/_
/ʔ/#_(')V
[čš]/s/_
w/y/_
m/w/_
n/r/_/#_
rr/nn/_
r/n/_[C#]
P/A/'_
'//_
Example words:
'erare "man" from *erenyiwa
'e'é "woman" from *eθkwe·wa
hóewó "chief" from *sa·kima·wa
'oraw "dog" from *aθemwa
'anne "hawk" from *kenriwa
yéntaé "owl" from wi·nteko·wa
wo'e "bear" from *maθkwa
wéh "bison" from *mo·swa "moose"
woraté "God/Great Spirit" from *maneto·wa
nowá "fish" from *name·wa
'e'etá "fire" from *eškwete·wi
nak "water" from *nepyi
wareón "camp" from *menika·ni "settlement"
'oe'we "blanket" from *akwehmi
wa'ta "spear" from *meʔtekwi "stick"
yéeyó'we "tent" from *wi·kiwa·ʔmi
'éroké "snow" from *ko·na·powi
héké "river" from *si·pi·wi
----
Now for the really crazy one: Algonquian as transplanted to Enggano island.
/k ʔ/ <k '>
/b d~r/ <b d~r>
/s~x/ <s~h>
/n/ <n>
/i a u/ <i a u> in high <acute> or low <unmarked> tone.
/d~r/ is realised as /d/ word-initially, after /n/ and finally, and /r/ elsewhere. /s~x/ is realised as before vowels and as [x] elsewhere.
Syllable structure is (C)V(C), where any consonant may appear word-finally but only /ʔ x n/ appear as codas word-internally. There are no restrictions on vowel clusters.
Sound changes:
C//#_G
e/i/_
w[eai]/o/_
y[eia]/i/_
o/u/_
G//C_
/'/_V·
·//_
V//_#/CC_
G//_#
[šθx]/s/_C
[čθ]/r/_
[hk]//_
š/s/_
t/ʔ/_
p/k/_
m/b/_
r/d/#_
r/d/_#
r/d/n_
s/h/_#
s/h/_C
P/A/'_
'//_
ʔʔ/ʔ/_
Example words:
irini "man" from *erenyiwa
isú "woman" from *eθkwe·wa
sáibá "chief" from *sa·kima·wa
arib "dog" from *aθemwa
indi "hawk" from *kenriwa
ún'iú "owl" from wi·nteko·wa
basu "bear" from *maθkwa
búh "cow" from *mo·swa "moose"
bani'ú "God/Great Spirit" from *maneto·wa
nabí "fish" from *name·wa
asú "eel" from *aθko·ka "snake"
ábú "fly, gnat" from *a·mo·wa "bee"
isu'í "fire" from *eškwete·wi
nik "water" from *nepyi
binián "town" from *menika·ni "settlement"
aubi "cloak/coat" from *akwehmi "blanket"
bi'i "spear" from *meʔtekwi "stick"
úiú'bi "house" from *wi·kiwa·ʔmi
síkí "river" from *si·pi·wi
First one: what if we mix Cheyenne and Pawnee?
/t k ʔ/ <t k '>
/s h/ <s h>
/r~n j w/ <r~n y w>
/e a o/ <e a o>
There is a high-low tone distinction, marked by the presence and absence of an acute in the romanisation respectively.
The phoneme /r~n/ is realised as [n] word-initially, before consonants, when geminated and word-finally and [r] elsewhere.
Syllable structure is (C)V(C) where any consonant may appear word-finally but only /ʔ n/ are stable word-internal codas. There are no restrictions on vowel-clusters.
Sound changes:
C//#_G
e/i/#_(T)C
w[ea]/o/C_
y[ei]/i/C_
ya/e/C_
we/o/#_
ye/i/#_
ya/ye/#_
G//C_
/'/_V·
·//_
V//_#/CC_
G//_#
o/i/_
a/o/_
e/a/_
i/e/_
[hθsxš]/ʔ/_C
s/h/_
θ/r/_
k//_
p/k/_
/ʔ/#_(')V
[čš]/s/_
w/y/_
m/w/_
n/r/_/#_
rr/nn/_
r/n/_[C#]
P/A/'_
'//_
Example words:
'erare "man" from *erenyiwa
'e'é "woman" from *eθkwe·wa
hóewó "chief" from *sa·kima·wa
'oraw "dog" from *aθemwa
'anne "hawk" from *kenriwa
yéntaé "owl" from wi·nteko·wa
wo'e "bear" from *maθkwa
wéh "bison" from *mo·swa "moose"
woraté "God/Great Spirit" from *maneto·wa
nowá "fish" from *name·wa
'e'etá "fire" from *eškwete·wi
nak "water" from *nepyi
wareón "camp" from *menika·ni "settlement"
'oe'we "blanket" from *akwehmi
wa'ta "spear" from *meʔtekwi "stick"
yéeyó'we "tent" from *wi·kiwa·ʔmi
'éroké "snow" from *ko·na·powi
héké "river" from *si·pi·wi
----
Now for the really crazy one: Algonquian as transplanted to Enggano island.
/k ʔ/ <k '>
/b d~r/ <b d~r>
/s~x/ <s~h>
/n/ <n>
/i a u/ <i a u> in high <acute> or low <unmarked> tone.
/d~r/ is realised as /d/ word-initially, after /n/ and finally, and /r/ elsewhere. /s~x/ is realised as
Syllable structure is (C)V(C), where any consonant may appear word-finally but only /ʔ x n/ appear as codas word-internally. There are no restrictions on vowel clusters.
Sound changes:
C//#_G
e/i/_
w[eai]/o/_
y[eia]/i/_
o/u/_
G//C_
/'/_V·
·//_
V//_#/CC_
G//_#
[šθx]/s/_C
[čθ]/r/_
[hk]//_
š/s/_
t/ʔ/_
p/k/_
m/b/_
r/d/#_
r/d/_#
r/d/n_
s/h/_#
s/h/_C
P/A/'_
'//_
ʔʔ/ʔ/_
Example words:
irini "man" from *erenyiwa
isú "woman" from *eθkwe·wa
sáibá "chief" from *sa·kima·wa
arib "dog" from *aθemwa
indi "hawk" from *kenriwa
ún'iú "owl" from wi·nteko·wa
basu "bear" from *maθkwa
búh "cow" from *mo·swa "moose"
bani'ú "God/Great Spirit" from *maneto·wa
nabí "fish" from *name·wa
asú "eel" from *aθko·ka "snake"
ábú "fly, gnat" from *a·mo·wa "bee"
isu'í "fire" from *eškwete·wi
nik "water" from *nepyi
binián "town" from *menika·ni "settlement"
aubi "cloak/coat" from *akwehmi "blanket"
bi'i "spear" from *meʔtekwi "stick"
úiú'bi "house" from *wi·kiwa·ʔmi
síkí "river" from *si·pi·wi
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
p t t͡s k
β ɹ ɣ
m n ŋ
l
s
Phonotactics:
C(F)V(C)
F stands for the second line, voiced fricatives and
So /pl/ is impossible onset but /pɣ/ is not.
β ɹ ɣ
m n ŋ
l
s
Phonotactics:
C(F)V(C)
F stands for the second line, voiced fricatives and
So /pl/ is impossible onset but /pɣ/ is not.
My meta-thread: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5760
- Frislander
- mayan
- Posts: 2088
- Joined: 14 May 2016 18:47
- Location: The North
Re: Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread
Fairly Oceanic, I'll say!Omzinesý wrote:p t t͡s k
β ɹ ɣ
m n ŋ
l
s
Phonotactics:
C(F)V(C)
F stands for the second line, voiced fricatives and
So /pl/ is impossible onset but /pɣ/ is not.