Search found 207 matches

by Trebor
Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:18 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Romanization challenge thread
Replies: 3842
Views: 841966

Re: Romanization challenge thread

Here's an orthography-design challenge for a west/north-central African-inspired conlang (Yoruba, Igbo, Dinka, and the like): Consonants Stops: /(p) b t_d d_d t d J\ k kp) k_w g gb) g_w/ Fricatives: /f v T D s z S Z x G W/ Affricates: /ts dz tS dZ/ Nasals: /m n_d n J N/ Liquid: /l/ Rhotic: /r/ Semiv...
by Trebor
Tue Jan 13, 2015 12:50 am
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Non English Orthography Reform
Replies: 40
Views: 8135

Re: Non English Orthography Reform

I'm surprised no one has even mentioned Vietnamese--its vowels are nuts. Any takers? :P
by Trebor
Sun Jan 11, 2015 7:57 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Quechua/Kichwa
Replies: 11
Views: 2998

Re: Quechua/Kichwa

I decided to take Kichwa because someone who did the same exchange program before me told me that there's a lot Kichwa in Quiteño slang so he suggested that I take it. Of course, whenever I told an Ecuadorian I was taking a beginner Kichwa class they all though it was hilarious because it's suppose...
by Trebor
Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:13 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Where are the African conlangs?
Replies: 62
Views: 21705

Re: Where are the African conlangs?

Once I made a conlang that used the entire African Reference Alphabet. It is spoken in a future Togo. It is called Etyecha Afrika. I'd be interested in taking a look at a grammar sketch you may have worked out. Could you post such info here or give us a link? :) I'm actually working on a West Afric...
by Trebor
Sun Dec 28, 2014 4:32 pm
Forum: None of the above
Topic: ZBB 2010 Fieldtrip
Replies: 27
Views: 11731

Re: ZBB 2010 Fieldtrip

Just found this thread, and I'm left wondering if Radagast or Rory ever wrote up a summary... I'm actually interested in Otomí/Mazahua myself.

Edit: Typo fixed.
by Trebor
Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:36 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Where are the African conlangs?
Replies: 62
Views: 21705

Re: Where are the African conlangs?

What general areas do y'all base your conlangs on? Seems like North America is the most popular one. There aren't any Mesoamerican conlangs either AFAIK, and that would be interesting. Only a few SE Asian, and that's all like Khmer and shit -- no one rips off Yi. Kosi, my most-developed project was...
by Trebor
Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:41 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Where are the African conlangs?
Replies: 62
Views: 21705

Re: Where are the African conlangs?

In Somali (and other Cushitic languages?) tone shift is the only way that grammatical gender is indicated for nouns. Where'd you read that? I have heard that tone is a part of other inflections but it's not indicated in the official orthography so I don't have enough expertise on the other things i...
by Trebor
Thu Dec 11, 2014 8:39 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Where are the African conlangs?
Replies: 62
Views: 21705

Re: Where are the African conlangs?

Solarius wrote:My conlang, Arroe, steals a lot from Yoruba.
In what ways?
by Trebor
Wed Dec 10, 2014 3:43 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Romanization challenge thread
Replies: 3842
Views: 841966

Re: Romanization challenge thread

Swedish challenge This is for standard Swedish. A good challenge. Consonants Stops: /p p: b b: t t: d d: k k: g g:/ <p pp b bb t tt d dd k kk g gg> Fricatives: /f f: v v: s s: ɕ ɕ: ɧ ɧ: h h:/ <f ff v vv s ss š šš sj ssj h hh> Nasals: /m m: n n: ŋ ŋ:/ <m mm n nn ng ngg> Trill: /r r:/ <r rr> Approxim...
by Trebor
Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:13 pm
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: Polysynthesis for Novices
Replies: 170
Views: 187714

Re: Polysynthesis for Novices

Radagast Revived--I sent you a PM. :)
by Trebor
Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:55 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Romanization challenge thread
Replies: 3842
Views: 841966

Re: Romanization challenge thread

finlay wrote:ɯ is M in x-sampa, so a close back unrounded vowel. I think maybe you want ɑ.
Whoops, my mistake. Thanks for the heads-up.
by Trebor
Mon Dec 08, 2014 7:30 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Romanization challenge thread
Replies: 3842
Views: 841966

Re: Romanization challenge thread

I've submitted a similar phonology in this thread before, but would like to request your orthography proposals for the revised version presented below. My screenreading program is at last able to cope with 'odd' letters beyond the basic accented characters such as a-acute and o-grave. Consonants Sto...
by Trebor
Fri Dec 05, 2014 5:54 pm
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: Polysynthesis for Novices
Replies: 170
Views: 187714

Re: Polysynthesis for Novices

A "true quantifier" in the sense used by Baker is a quantifier that acts as the head of a noun phrase and "governs" the noun (e.g. forcing it to agree with the quantifier). Using generative jargon Baker defines it as quantifiers that C command a pronoun that it coindexes, shows weak crossover effec...
by Trebor
Wed Dec 03, 2014 5:41 pm
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: Polysynthesis for Novices
Replies: 170
Views: 187714

Re: Polysynthesis for Novices

Not really, the only one I know who has worked on that is Mark Baker who uses it as one of his traits that they dont have true quantifiers. I dont think anyone else has paid any attention to quantifiers (partly because if ones definition of polysynthesis is purely morphological as opposed to syntac...
by Trebor
Sun Nov 23, 2014 12:48 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Active alignment beyond intransitive sentences
Replies: 6
Views: 2769

Re: Active alignment beyond intransitive sentences

Thanks for that paper, Gach--it was interesting reading. Then, if we have dative head marking for core arguments, should we also consider more familiar European dative subjects or other wider quirky case systems as split marking not that dissimilar to canonical split intransitivity? Yes, such makes ...
by Trebor
Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:57 pm
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: Polysynthesis for Novices
Replies: 170
Views: 187714

Re: Polysynthesis for Novices

Radagast revived wrote:I forgot this thread where I had some unaddressed questions.
Can you recommend any papers on how polysynthetic languages deal with quantifiers?
by Trebor
Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:46 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Indicating referent animacy via adjectives/stative verbs?
Replies: 5
Views: 1921

Re: Indicating referent animacy via adjectives/stative verbs

GreenBowTie--I shall keep your request in mind. It could make boardwide searches more difficult. Thanks for your feedback, Hwhatting and Zompist. I didn't exactly have gender-agreement in mind, but something more like, say, regular derivation, where, e.g., "interesting" refers to humans, and "intere...
by Trebor
Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:16 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Indicating referent animacy via adjectives/stative verbs?
Replies: 5
Views: 1921

Indicating referent animacy via adjectives/stative verbs?

(The thread title has been changed by request of GreenBowTie.) Are there any natlangs that systematically distinguish, morphologically or lexically, adjectives or stative verbs which refer to humans vs. objects/events/ideas? For example: (1) a. Alex is an admirable person because of all the voluntee...
by Trebor
Thu Oct 30, 2014 4:45 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Romanization challenge thread
Replies: 3842
Views: 841966

Re: Romanization challenge thread

Here is my proposal for this mysterious Caucasian language: Adyghe /a:d@Gabza/ <ádegabza> Plain stops: /p b t d k k_w g_w q q_w ? ?_w/ <p b t d k kw gw q qw ' 'w> Ejective stops: /p_> p_w_> t_> t_w_> k_w_> k_j_>/ <p' pw' t' tw' kw' ky'> Plain fricatives: /f s z K S Z s\ z\ s` z` s`_w z`_w x G X R X_...
by Trebor
Sat Oct 25, 2014 7:26 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Complex morphophonology
Replies: 2
Views: 1285

Complex morphophonology

I'd like to learn more about complex morphophonology in polysynthetic tongues of the Americas, such as the alternations demonstrated in Hocak-language examples provided throughout this paper (PDF). However, thus far I have had little success in finding comprehensive descriptions online for any nativ...
by Trebor
Fri Oct 24, 2014 4:06 pm
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: Polysynthesis for Novices
Replies: 170
Views: 187714

Re: Polysynthesis for Novices

Also, how would Lakota handle a sentence like this?

c. Alex, a mutual friend, brought the package to me for you. He wanted to save you the trouble.
by Trebor
Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:08 pm
Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
Topic: Romanization challenge thread
Replies: 3842
Views: 841966

Re: Romanization challenge thread

My proposed orthography for Cayuga, /gojogo_0h'o:no~?/ <goyogòhó:nom'>, which attempts to use as few diacritically-marked letters as possible: Consonants Stops: /t d k g ?/ <t d k g '> Fricatives: /s~S h/ <s h> Affricates: /ts) tS) dZ)~dz)/ <c x z> Nasal: /n/ <n> Rhotic: /r\/ <r> Semivowels: /j w/ <...
by Trebor
Fri Oct 24, 2014 2:12 am
Forum: L&L Museum
Topic: Polysynthesis for Novices
Replies: 170
Views: 187714

Re: Polysynthesis for Novices

Lakota has dative and benefactive affixes that add an argument to the verb for (1). The rest of your examples are just adverbial or postpositional phrases... Ahh, that's unfortunate (for my purposes). There must be a polysynthetic natlang out there with lots of preverbs and a ZBB poster or a lingui...
by Trebor
Tue Oct 21, 2014 4:25 am
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Active alignment beyond intransitive sentences
Replies: 6
Views: 2769

Re: Active alignment beyond intransitive sentences

It does seem reasonable that languages wouldn't complicate matters by reusing intransitive patientive declensions/conjugations for the subject of a transitive verb, given that it will often be the agent anyway. But I cannot seem to find much information about what alternative strategies are used in ...
by Trebor
Mon Oct 20, 2014 7:20 pm
Forum: Languages & Linguistics
Topic: Active alignment beyond intransitive sentences
Replies: 6
Views: 2769

Re: Active alignment beyond intransitive sentences

Well, I've managed to find a little information on this topic, at last (I wasn't using good keywords): 1) According to this paper (PDF) , "Active-Stative Agreement in Choctaw and Lakota", and this page , "Sketch of Lakhota, Pt.II", this language has a small number of transitive verbs which are stati...