Search found 168 matches

by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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.
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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?
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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 ...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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.
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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?
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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 ...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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/ ...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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. ...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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...
by Porphyrogenitos
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?

mèþru wrote:I once wanted to make a Samaritan script using Pannonian Romance language, but I lost interest.
Was there an alternate historical backstory behind that? Some exiled Samaritans get dumped in Pannonia after the 5th-6th century Samaritan Revolts?