River Skasti (new grammar)
Posted: 28 Feb 2023 02:19
Skasti is my three-decade long labor of love (I have wanted to make one since I was 7; I was sitting inside of a thicket in an orange grove behind my mobile home when I had the inspiration). Other projects were attempted with the Eurocentric proclivity for light to middle of the road agglutination with some fusionality, suffixing from the root, but none got off the ground with ANY grammar. It takes many phonetic elements from Lakota, and a few other Native American languages.
OLD SKASTI:
Consonants:
plosives: /*p *b *t *d *k *g *ʔ/
<p b t d k g '>
affricates: /*t͡s *d͡z *t͡ʃ *d͡ʒ *k͡x *ɡ͡ɣ/
<c j ch jh kh gh>
fricatives: /*s *z *ʃ *ʒ *x *ɣ/
<s z sh zh h r>
resonants: /*w *m *l *n *j *ŋ/
<w m l n y nh>
Vowels:
oral: /*i *u *e *o *a/
<i u e o a>
long: /*i: *u: *e: *o: *a:/
<î û ê ô â>
•/ji: je: wu: wo:/ were forbidden.
Coda:
•/*ɴ/ <ŋ> was the only coda.
•nasal coda may not precede -- nor be coda to a syllable starting with -- /m n ŋ Cm Cn/, ex. /*ʔaɴme/ or /*maɴ/.
Consonant Cluster Rules:
●C1 is {p t s ʃ k x}; C2 is {p t t͡s t͡ʃ k k͡x ʔ w l j m n}.
•/p: t: k: t:s t:ʃ k:x st͡s st͡ʃ ʃt͡s ʃt͡ʃ xk͡x/ were forbidden.
/*pt *pt͡s *pt͡ʃ *pk *pk͡x *pʔ *pw *pl *pj *pm *pn/
/*tp *tk *tk͡x *tʔ *tw *tl *tj *tm *tn/
/*sp *st *sk *sk͡x *sʔ *sw *sl *sj *sm *sn/
/*ʃp *ʃt *ʃk *ʃk͡x *ʃʔ *ʃw *ʃl *ʃj *ʃm *ʃn/
/*kp *kt *kt͡s *kt͡ʃ *kʔ *kw *kl *kj *km *kn/
/*xp *xt *xt͡s *xt͡ʃ *xk *xʔ *xw *xl *xj *xm *xn/
Syllable: (C)CV(ɴ)
Sound Changes (not in order):
●Resonant, New Phonemes:
•/*pt/ + /*pl/ > /*pl/ > /bl/.
•/*tp/ + /*tw/ > /*tw/ > /dw/.
•/*kp *kt/ + /*kw *kl/ > /*kw *kl/ > /gw gl/.
•/*pj *tj/ > /bj dj/.
•/*tn/ + /*pn/ > /*pn/ > /*bn/ > /mn/.
•/*pm/ + /*tm/ > /*tm/ > /*dm/ > /*nm/ > /ŋm/.
•/*sj *ʃj/ > /skw ʃkw/; ex. /*ʃjo:ɴ/ > /ʃkweã/ "honey."
•/*pw/ × /*xw/ > /(p̪)f/.
•/*tl/ × /*xl/ > /(t)ɬ/.
•/*kj/ × /*xj/ > /(c)ç/.
●Affricate, New Phonemes:
•/*t͡s *d͡z *s *z/ > /s z θ ð/.
•/*Ct͡s *Ct͡ʃ/ > /Cs C(t)ʃ/; /*xt͡s *xt͡ʃ/ > /st͡s ʃt͡ʃ/.
•/*k͡x *ɡ͡ɣ *x *ɣ/ > /x ɣ h ʔ/; /*ɣ/ + /*ʔ/ > /ʔ/.
•/*sk͡x *ʃk͡x/ + /*sk *ʃk/ > /sk ʃk/.
•/*pk *tk/ × /*pk͡x *tk͡x/ > /px tx/.
●Vocalic, New Phonemes:
•/*Ci:/ × /*Cji/ > /Ci̯e/.
•/*Ce:/ × /*Cje/ > /Ce̯a/.
•/*Cu:/ × /*Cwu/ > /Cu̯o/.
•/*Co:/ × /*Cwo/ > /Co̯a/.
•/*a:/ + /*a/ > /a/.
•/-Vɴ/ became nasal vowels at root coda, and optionally articulated more to the {p} {t s ʃ} {k x} type region, intervocalically.
•current era /ʔ/ has lost initial phonetic status, rendering vowel-initial words, but is retained, intervocalically.
RIVER SKASTI:
Consonants:
ejective: /p' t' s' ʃ' k' x'/
<p' t' s' š' k' h'>
fortis: /p t s t͡ʃ k x/
<p t c č k ħ>
lenis: /b d z d͡ʒ g ɣ/
<w̌ ł d đ y̌ r>
continuant: /w l θ ʃ j h/
<w l s š y h>
sonorant: /m n ð ʒ ŋ ʔ/
<m n z ž ň '>
•glottal <'> is not written at word onset.
Vowels:
oral: /i u e o a/
<i u e o a>
nasal: /ĩ ũ ẽ õ ã/
<į ų ę ǫ ą>
Diphthongs:
oral: /i̯e u̯o e̯a o̯a/
<ie uo ea oa>
nasal: /i̯ẽ u̯õ e̯ã o̯ã/
<ię uǫ eą oą>
Modern Clusters:
/ps p(t)ʃ px/
<pc pč pħ>
/bl bj/
<w̌l w̌y>
/mn/
<mn>
/tx/
<tħ>
/dw dj/
<łw ły>
/ŋm/
<ňm>
/sp st st͡s sk skw sw sl sm sn/
<sp st sc sk skw sw sl sm sn>
/ʃp ʃt ʃt͡ʃ ʃk ʃkw ʃw ʃl ʃm ʃn/
<šp št šč šk škw šw šl šm šn>
/kp* kt* ks k(t)ʃ km kn/
<kp kt kc kč km kn>
/gw gl/
<y̌w y̌l>
/xp xt xk xm xn/
<hp ht hk hm hn>
/(p̪)f (t)ɬ (c)ç/
<hw hl hy>
•bolded segments are more common.
•all clusters are attested at root onset.
•/kp kt/ are still found in the verbal complex.
Phonotactics:
•maximum syllable: (C)CV(V).
•root template: ((C)V(V))(C)CV(V)((C)CV(V)).
OLD SKASTI:
Consonants:
plosives: /*p *b *t *d *k *g *ʔ/
<p b t d k g '>
affricates: /*t͡s *d͡z *t͡ʃ *d͡ʒ *k͡x *ɡ͡ɣ/
<c j ch jh kh gh>
fricatives: /*s *z *ʃ *ʒ *x *ɣ/
<s z sh zh h r>
resonants: /*w *m *l *n *j *ŋ/
<w m l n y nh>
Vowels:
oral: /*i *u *e *o *a/
<i u e o a>
long: /*i: *u: *e: *o: *a:/
<î û ê ô â>
•/ji: je: wu: wo:/ were forbidden.
Coda:
•/*ɴ/ <ŋ> was the only coda.
•nasal coda may not precede -- nor be coda to a syllable starting with -- /m n ŋ Cm Cn/, ex. /*ʔaɴme/ or /*maɴ/.
Consonant Cluster Rules:
●C1 is {p t s ʃ k x}; C2 is {p t t͡s t͡ʃ k k͡x ʔ w l j m n}.
•/p: t: k: t:s t:ʃ k:x st͡s st͡ʃ ʃt͡s ʃt͡ʃ xk͡x/ were forbidden.
/*pt *pt͡s *pt͡ʃ *pk *pk͡x *pʔ *pw *pl *pj *pm *pn/
/*tp *tk *tk͡x *tʔ *tw *tl *tj *tm *tn/
/*sp *st *sk *sk͡x *sʔ *sw *sl *sj *sm *sn/
/*ʃp *ʃt *ʃk *ʃk͡x *ʃʔ *ʃw *ʃl *ʃj *ʃm *ʃn/
/*kp *kt *kt͡s *kt͡ʃ *kʔ *kw *kl *kj *km *kn/
/*xp *xt *xt͡s *xt͡ʃ *xk *xʔ *xw *xl *xj *xm *xn/
Syllable: (C)CV(ɴ)
Sound Changes (not in order):
●Resonant, New Phonemes:
•/*pt/ + /*pl/ > /*pl/ > /bl/.
•/*tp/ + /*tw/ > /*tw/ > /dw/.
•/*kp *kt/ + /*kw *kl/ > /*kw *kl/ > /gw gl/.
•/*pj *tj/ > /bj dj/.
•/*tn/ + /*pn/ > /*pn/ > /*bn/ > /mn/.
•/*pm/ + /*tm/ > /*tm/ > /*dm/ > /*nm/ > /ŋm/.
•/*sj *ʃj/ > /skw ʃkw/; ex. /*ʃjo:ɴ/ > /ʃkweã/ "honey."
•/*pw/ × /*xw/ > /(p̪)f/.
•/*tl/ × /*xl/ > /(t)ɬ/.
•/*kj/ × /*xj/ > /(c)ç/.
●Affricate, New Phonemes:
•/*t͡s *d͡z *s *z/ > /s z θ ð/.
•/*Ct͡s *Ct͡ʃ/ > /Cs C(t)ʃ/; /*xt͡s *xt͡ʃ/ > /st͡s ʃt͡ʃ/.
•/*k͡x *ɡ͡ɣ *x *ɣ/ > /x ɣ h ʔ/; /*ɣ/ + /*ʔ/ > /ʔ/.
•/*sk͡x *ʃk͡x/ + /*sk *ʃk/ > /sk ʃk/.
•/*pk *tk/ × /*pk͡x *tk͡x/ > /px tx/.
●Vocalic, New Phonemes:
•/*Ci:/ × /*Cji/ > /Ci̯e/.
•/*Ce:/ × /*Cje/ > /Ce̯a/.
•/*Cu:/ × /*Cwu/ > /Cu̯o/.
•/*Co:/ × /*Cwo/ > /Co̯a/.
•/*a:/ + /*a/ > /a/.
•/-Vɴ/ became nasal vowels at root coda, and optionally articulated more to the {p} {t s ʃ} {k x} type region, intervocalically.
•current era /ʔ/ has lost initial phonetic status, rendering vowel-initial words, but is retained, intervocalically.
RIVER SKASTI:
Consonants:
ejective: /p' t' s' ʃ' k' x'/
<p' t' s' š' k' h'>
fortis: /p t s t͡ʃ k x/
<p t c č k ħ>
lenis: /b d z d͡ʒ g ɣ/
<w̌ ł d đ y̌ r>
continuant: /w l θ ʃ j h/
<w l s š y h>
sonorant: /m n ð ʒ ŋ ʔ/
<m n z ž ň '>
•glottal <'> is not written at word onset.
Vowels:
oral: /i u e o a/
<i u e o a>
nasal: /ĩ ũ ẽ õ ã/
<į ų ę ǫ ą>
Diphthongs:
oral: /i̯e u̯o e̯a o̯a/
<ie uo ea oa>
nasal: /i̯ẽ u̯õ e̯ã o̯ã/
<ię uǫ eą oą>
Modern Clusters:
/ps p(t)ʃ px/
<pc pč pħ>
/bl bj/
<w̌l w̌y>
/mn/
<mn>
/tx/
<tħ>
/dw dj/
<łw ły>
/ŋm/
<ňm>
/sp st st͡s sk skw sw sl sm sn/
<sp st sc sk skw sw sl sm sn>
/ʃp ʃt ʃt͡ʃ ʃk ʃkw ʃw ʃl ʃm ʃn/
<šp št šč šk škw šw šl šm šn>
/kp* kt* ks k(t)ʃ km kn/
<kp kt kc kč km kn>
/gw gl/
<y̌w y̌l>
/xp xt xk xm xn/
<hp ht hk hm hn>
/(p̪)f (t)ɬ (c)ç/
<hw hl hy>
•bolded segments are more common.
•all clusters are attested at root onset.
•/kp kt/ are still found in the verbal complex.
Phonotactics:
•maximum syllable: (C)CV(V).
•root template: ((C)V(V))(C)CV(V)((C)CV(V)).