Search found 168 matches
- Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:52 pm
- Forum: Languages & Linguistics
- Topic: Curiosities from the languages of Italy
- Replies: 10
- Views: 3911
Re: Curiosities from the languages of Italy
Tuscan Italian has word-initial consonant mutation very similar to that of Gaelic : porta "door"; la forta "the door". This is an interesting development, but it's actually strictly a sandhi phenomenon, i.e. only allophonic and not phonemic like in the Celtic languages. There are other dialects wit...
- Sun Jun 04, 2017 8:06 am
- Forum: Languages & Linguistics
- Topic: Curiosities from the languages of Italy
- Replies: 10
- Views: 3911
Curiosities from the languages of Italy
I recently got The Dialects of Italy by Martin Maiden and Mair Perry, and wow, I knew that Italy had quite a few regional languages straddling multiple branches of Romance, but after acquainting myself with the book, I have to say: Italy truly is a treasure-trove of linguistic diversity, at least re...
- Sun May 07, 2017 12:14 pm
- Forum: Languages & Linguistics
- Topic: Archaisms and curiosities in well-known language families
- Replies: 31
- Views: 9302
Re: Archaisms and curiosities in well-known language familie
The first four things are interesting, but how is that attributive/predicative thing any different than Spanish? Spanish has adjectives that drop the -o when they are used before the noun they describe, and bueno is one of them. Does Sursilvan do it in both genders or just masculine? Hm, that's tru...
- Sun May 07, 2017 8:00 am
- Forum: Languages & Linguistics
- Topic: Archaisms and curiosities in well-known language families
- Replies: 31
- Views: 9302
Re: Archaisms and curiosities in well-known language familie
Okay, this just in: There are certain varieties of Franco-Provençal that preserve a nominative-oblique case distinction in the singular , marked on the article, rather like in German. This means these varieties are: The only modern Western Romance languages to preserve a case distinction. The only m...
- Mon Feb 20, 2017 9:45 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: A system of 'inherent case'
- Replies: 7
- Views: 3064
Re: A system of 'inherent case'
I agree, it specifically looks like a snapshot of a language at the moment when a lot of its nouns are being grammaticalized as prepositions or adverbs. Not that that's bad, I think it's very interesting, and such a stage could last a considerable amount of time.
- Sun Feb 12, 2017 11:38 am
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Post your conlang's phonology
- Replies: 2278
- Views: 499892
Re: Post your conlang's phonology
No language for this phonology yet: Phoneme inventory Nasals: /m n/ Stops: /p t k/ Fricatives: /v s/ Vowels: /i u ɛ ɑ/ Syllable structure -Maximum syllable structure is CCVC -Clusters longer than two consonants are forbidden -A syllable-initial cluster may not begin with a nasal -Note, however, that...
- Tue Feb 07, 2017 9:39 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Creating a Logography for a Fusional Language
- Replies: 12
- Views: 4804
Re: Creating a Logography for a Fusional Language
[*]Diacritics? In a logography? WAT???[/list] Vietnamese Chữ Nôm used a diacritic to indicate a native reading of a character, as opposed to a Chinese reading, which was normally assumed, as described here : Unmodified Chinese characters were used in chữ Nôm in three different ways. A large proport...
- Mon Jan 16, 2017 10:02 pm
- Forum: Languages & Linguistics
- Topic: The Great Proto-Indo-European Thread
- Replies: 2225
- Views: 448726
Re: The Great Proto-Indo-European Thread
Could anyone direct me to some sources (especially ones available online - but whatever will do) about the hypothetical tree and bird substrate languages that contributed vocabulary to early IE?
- Sat Jan 14, 2017 2:19 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Sound Change Quickie Thread
- Replies: 2827
- Views: 614121
Re: Sound Change Quickie Thread
Do ejectives ever spontaneously become affricated to increase their volume/further differentiate themselves from non-ejectives? I.e. do languages with ejectives tend to have ejective affricates with no non-ejective equivalent? I'm just curious, since I've noticed that for me, at least, /t͜s' t͜ʃ' t͜...
- Sun Jan 01, 2017 11:22 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Μλός Βλάχεαν Vlachian Language: Greeklang (NP: Our Father)
- Replies: 17
- Views: 8897
Re: Μλώσα Ρόαμεανα Query and Scratch Pad
Of course. I originally had <ου> everywhere for /u/, but it seemed rather cumbersome given the frequency of /u/ in this conlang relative to Greek. The justification I had in mind was due to a loss of literacy in Classical Greek, wherein less educated speakers would use υ and ι and η interchangeably...
- Sun Jan 01, 2017 4:27 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Sound Change Quickie Thread
- Replies: 2827
- Views: 614121
Re: Sound Change Quickie Thread
So, I've got a simple five-vowel system /a e i o u/. The change /u/ > /i/ happens, with historical /u/ remaining distinct in some positions because of palatalization triggered by historical /i/. /o/ then shifts to /u/. I know this could give me a stable four-vowel system /i u ɛ~æ ɔ~ɑ/, but what are ...
- Sun Oct 30, 2016 9:58 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Sound Change Quickie Thread
- Replies: 2827
- Views: 614121
Re: Sound Change Quickie Thread
What are some possible outcomes of velarized consonants? Relatedly, if there was a "backing" influence on /p/ or /t/, would gaining a palatal articulation be a plausible outcome? Context: I'm messing around with consonant harmony, with the sets /p t̪ k/ and /p̠ t̠ q/, and I want /k/ and /t̠/ to merg...
- Mon Oct 24, 2016 6:56 pm
- Forum: Languages & Linguistics
- Topic: Archaisms and curiosities in well-known language families
- Replies: 31
- Views: 9302
Re: Archaisms and curiosities in well-known language familie
Oh, one thing I forgot to mention was Razihi, spoken on Jabal Razih in Yemen. It, apparently, is the only surviving descendant of the Old South Arabian languages, and has considerable influence from Arabic.
- Sun Oct 23, 2016 2:01 pm
- Forum: Languages & Linguistics
- Topic: Archaisms and curiosities in well-known language families
- Replies: 31
- Views: 9302
Archaisms and curiosities in well-known language families
Recently I've found out a number of interesting things about certain Romance varieties, which may be surprising since they seemingly contradict the "common knowledge" surrounding the family. Southern Romance in Mainland Italy Glottolog classifies the "Southern Lucanian" dialect as part of Southern R...
- Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:03 am
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Sound Change Quickie Thread
- Replies: 2827
- Views: 614121
Re: Sound Change Quickie Thread
What environments are likely to trigger changes in vowel height?
- Mon Sep 19, 2016 11:08 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
- Replies: 16
- Views: 6301
Re: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
A language unrelated to the previous ideas discussed on this page. It is still unnamed and I have hardly developed the phonology at all, but I have thought out a good bit of grammar. So at this time I'm just demonstrating it with glosses and mashed-together English words in order to illustrate vario...
- Sat Jul 23, 2016 11:30 pm
- Forum: Languages & Linguistics
- Topic: Just how exactly do Semitic tri-consonantal roots work?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 6921
Re: Just how exactly do Semitic tri-consonantal roots work?
I'll readily admit that I was going significantly out on a limb when I made that comment and really shouldn't have been making assertions about a topic I'm no expert on. Or, at least, I was going too far to suggest that triconsonantal roots have no "independent existence" - whatever that admittedly ...
- Thu Jun 30, 2016 6:50 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Romanization challenge thread
- Replies: 3842
- Views: 842510
Re: Romanization challenge thread
[...] I like that, but I'd revise it slightly to: /pʰ tʰ cʰ kʰ/ <ph th ch kh> /p t c k ʔ/ <p t c k q> /ɓ ɗ ʄ ɠ/ <b d j g> /ⁿb ⁿd ⁿɟ ⁿg/ <np nt nc nk> /m̥ n̥ ɲ̥ ŋ̥/ <mh nh nyh ngh> /m n ɲ ŋ/ <m n ny ng> /s h/ <s h> /ɬ ç ʍ/ <lh yh wh> /l j w/ <l y w> Vowels: /æ a ɒ e ɤ o i ɯ u/ <ae a ao e eo o i ue u...
- Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:44 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
- Replies: 16
- Views: 6301
Re: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
I've come up with yet another revision to this system, resulting in considerably more consonants that eventually collapse down to much fewer. Starting with: /p t k m n l s h/ /a i u ai̯ au̯/ (C)V(C) syllables with any consonant in the coda Consonants before /i/ or after /ai̯/ are palatalized. Conson...
- Mon Jun 27, 2016 6:25 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Romanization challenge thread
- Replies: 3842
- Views: 842510
Re: Romanization challenge thread
/ɨ a/ <u a> /p t tʷ tʲ k kʷ kʲ q qʷ qʲ ʔ/ <p t tw ty k kw q qw qy '> /b d g/ <b d g> /p' t' tʷ' tʲ' k' kʷ' kʲ' q' qʷ' qʲ'/ <p' t' tw' ty' k' kw' ky' q' qw' qy'> /f s sʷ ɕ ɕʷ x xʷ xʲ χ χʷ χʲ h/ <f s sw c cw x xw xy qh qhw qhy h> /v z ʑ ɣ ʁ/ <v z j gh xh> /t͡s t͡sʷ t͡ɕ t͡ɕʷ/ <ts tsw tc tcw> /d͡z d͡ʑ/ ...
- Sun Jun 26, 2016 8:12 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
- Replies: 16
- Views: 6301
Re: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
I think I may introduce another series of sound change during the formative era of consonant mutations, in which preservative assimilation takes place after nasals. [mp] > [mb] [nt] > [nd] [ŋk] > [ŋg] (voiced stops remain unchanged) [ns] > [nz] [nr] > [nn] Geminates and preconsonantal/syllable-final...
- Sun Jun 26, 2016 7:46 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
- Replies: 16
- Views: 6301
Re: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
A concept for a language with initial consonant mutation: The language initally has a small phoneme inventory, just: /a i u/ /p t k b d g m n r s/ With (C)V(C) syllable structure, with only alveolar consonants /t d n r s/ permitted in the coda. [n] assimilates to the POA of the following consonant. ...
- Sun Jun 26, 2016 9:02 am
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Sound Change Quickie Thread
- Replies: 2827
- Views: 614121
Re: Sound Change Quickie Thread
When sound changes occur that lead to initial consonant mutation, do those changes necessarily (or strongly tend to) occur word-internally, as well? I'm well aware that once the word-initial changes become lexicalized/grammaticalized, they'll start occurring at the beginning of all kinds of words si...
- Tue Jun 14, 2016 11:06 am
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
- Replies: 16
- Views: 6301
Re: Porphyrogenitos' scratchpad
Is there any natural language where the vowel in every open syllable was ever lengthened? Well, I could have chosen to describe it as the vowel in every closed syllable becoming shortened. The key issue was that a non-contrastive distinction emerged, like the lengthening of English vowels before vo...
- Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:47 pm
- Forum: Conlangery & Conworlds
- Topic: Any conlangs with non-Latin natural scripts?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 9272
Re: Any conlangs with non-Latin natural scripts?
Was there an alternate historical backstory behind that? Some exiled Samaritans get dumped in Pannonia after the 5th-6th century Samaritan Revolts?mèþru wrote:I once wanted to make a Samaritan script using Pannonian Romance language, but I lost interest.