Tagorese - request for comment

[Dewrad]

I've been working on and off on a language called Tagorese for a while now, but I've kind of stalled. I'd appreciate any thoughts you guys might have on the (incomplete!) description of the language's grammar, which might give me a bit of a kick up the backside to get back to work on it.

Some highlights of the language:

• Isolating
• Sesquisyllabic syllable structure
• Underlying SOV word order with V2 surface instantiation
• Ergative alignment
• Inverse marking à la Rgyalrong
• Relative tense, rather than absolute
• Weird syllabary-meets-abuguida script
• Extended sample text
• Ugly eunuchs, wicked viziers, castrating parents, infidelity, saucy nuns, drunkenness and ritual uncleanliness!

The grammar can be found here (pdf, 1.1MB).

[gach]

These people really have a rich culture judging from the example sentences. Here are some thoughts of the grammar from me.

The grammatical description stops right when you start to get deeper into dependent clauses. I think this is an obvious place to continue writing. What's the function of the dependent marker a within different embedded clauses and how does it interplay with the conjunctions and relative pronouns? Sect. 2.2.7. has two examples of relative clauses and one of a complement clause, but what about adverbial clauses? In Sect. 2.3.2. you list only four subordinating conjunctions which don't include anything to mark temporal clauses ("before", "after", "while" etc.). If these meanings aren't covered by specialised conjunctions, am I right in guessing that they might use a combination of the dependent marker and an appropriate preposition modifying the clause?

You title Sect. 2.2.4. as "Focus and valence" but don't really touch the information structure uses that any of the valency markers might have. You in fact state that the antipassive markers are used for omitting the patient instead of demoting it to an oblique, which would allow marking the switch of topicality between agent and patient. I'd love to read if you decide to reveal anything concerning the coding of topicality or the singling out of prominent foci.

You state that nouns denoting units can function as classifiers equally well as the grammaticalised measure words. How open would you say this makes the class of mensural classifiers? And what about the non-mensural ones, how tightly closed group would you say they form? How likely would you say that at least scholarly use would start to allow the use of previously unused classifiers with some nouns?

[Ars Lande]

That is really great, with a nice East Asian feel to it, yet with plenty of interesting constructions.
I would like to see more of it, with forcible application of boot to rear end if necessary

Basically, what gach said.
Besides that, I'd be interested in learning more about the associated conculture.
Some additional and more extended sample texts would be great as well.

[WeepingElf]

This looks very nice so far. Your geography reminds me of the Indus Valley - did you draw inspiration from the enigmatic Indus Valley civilization?

[Alon]

One thing about your introduction bothers me - you bring up the names of a bunch of regions, but the map you include doesn't show any of them. If you're using English region names ("Delta," etc.), put them on the map, so that I can go back to the map and see what is where

[Nortaneous]

I see I've started a trend.

I don't know that nasalization can become tone -- is this attested anywhere?

I should get a grammar of Hlu up at some point. It's a lot like this.

[Vijay]

I'm honestly just wondering whether there's any particular reason why it's called Tagorese.

[spanick]

I really like the phonology! I'd be interested to know more about the different dialectical variations. That level of detail is something I aspire to.

I too would be interested to learn more about the conculture. Is there a conreligion?

[Dewrad]

These people really have a rich culture judging from the example sentences. Here are some thoughts of the grammar from me.

The grammatical description stops right when you start to get deeper into dependent clauses. I think this is an obvious place to continue writing.

gach, thank you, these are all good points to think about to get the creativity kick-starting. I just kind of dried up at dependent clauses- like when you don't know where to start eating because there's too much damn food!

This looks very nice so far. Your geography reminds me of the Indus Valley - did you draw inspiration from the enigmatic Indus Valley civilization?

Not in particular, although despite the East Asian "look and feel", the culture and history of the speakers owes far more to that of India (and, I guess, Indo-China) than it does to that of the far east.

One thing about your introduction bothers me - you bring up the names of a bunch of regions, but the map you include doesn't show any of them. If you're using English region names ("Delta," etc.), put them on the map, so that I can go back to the map and see what is where

I'll bear that in mind- I had assumed, however, that readers would in turn (correctly) assume that the Delta is where the river system meets the sea...

I see I've started a trend.

I don't know that nasalization can become tone -- is this attested anywhere?

I don't know. I don't think so, however!

I'm honestly just wondering whether there's any particular reason why it's called Tagorese.

Because, as the first sentence says, it's the language spoken in the lands formerly belonging to the Tagorese Empire. "Tagorese" is just a Romanisation of tǝɣraḥ, the native endonym.

I really like the phonology! I'd be interested to know more about the different dialectical variations. That level of detail is something I aspire to.

Thanks! I made that shit up as I went along, tbh.

I too would be interested to learn more about the conculture. Is there a conreligion?

There is a conreligion, which I can post an outline of if there's interest. It's my conworld's equivalent of Buddhism, but with added body horror and nihilism.

[Alon]

I'll bear that in mind- I had assumed, however, that readers would in turn (correctly) assume that the Delta is where the river system meets the sea...

I don't really see the river system, though...

[gach]

gach, thank you, these are all good points to think about to get the creativity kick-starting. I just kind of dried up at dependent clauses- like when you don't know where to start eating because there's too much damn food!

I know the feeling. It doesn't help that most of grammar is complexly interconnected with itself so you usually get the feeling that you should have worked on some other part before whatever you are working on now.

[Ars Lande]

I too would be interested to learn more about the conculture. Is there a conreligion?

There is a conreligion, which I can post an outline of if there's interest. It's my conworld's equivalent of Buddhism, but with added body horror and nihilism.

Please do. You had me at 'body horror'.

[spanick]

I really like the phonology! I'd be interested to know more about the different dialectical variations. That level of detail is something I aspire to.

Thanks! I made that shit up as I went along, tbh.

Ha! Fair enough. You really should develop that though. I really appreciate linguistic diversity within a conlang. Blurring the lines between dialect/language; standard/nonstandard; and mutual intelligibility always really fascinates me and you pulled it off well (especially for making it up on the go). It's almost more like you have several potential conlangs for the price of one. Given the examples here, I'm not sure how mutually intelligible any of these dialects actually is and all this variation makes a shit show out of the orthography, but hey...that's par for the course with natlangs.