How to design a non-European phonology

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Dē Graut Bʉr »

Lyhoko Leaci wrote:1% SAE. I think.
Congratulations!
ObsequiousNewt wrote: Wait, with four fricatives? I'm impressed.
I don't really understand why you are impressed by that. Could you explain?

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Aurora Rossa »

Nortaneous wrote:yeah but on the other hand, every germanic language, every baltic language, every slavic language except polish, every uralic language in europe
Hmm, never really thought about it that way. I guess I am just so used to thinking of "v without w" as something exotic and foreign that it never occurred to me to consider that.
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Znex »

Proto-Oeg:

1. Absence of any phonemic POA for stops further back than velar [half mark for only one stop-POA behind velar, or for prominent allophonic stops behind velar]
2. Phonemic voicing
3. Phonemic voicing only on stops and fricatives only fricatives
4. Voicing distinction on fricatives but only labial and/or coronal fricatives
5. At least two MOAs with identical POA arrays (are regular stops and ejectives different MOAs? I'll consider them to be for the rest of the survey)
6. One fewer phonemic POA for nasals than for stops and affricates combined
7. No single MOA found at all POAs [half mark if only one MOA at all POAs]
8. At least one non-glottal POA with at least one fricative but no stops
9. Fricatives distinguish more POAs than (non-nasal) stops [half mark if they distinguish the same number]
10. More non-stops than stops (not counting nasals as either stops or non-stops)
11. Between 20 and 30 consonant phonemes [half mark if between 15 and 40]
12. One phonemic lateral, distinguished from rhotics [half mark if more than one]
13. No lateral obstruents
14. One phonemic rhotic [half mark if more than one]
15. 5-7 POAs [half mark if at least 4 POAs]
16. 4 stop/affricate POAs
17. No systematic secondary articulation at more than one POA and no double articulation [half mark if there is systematic palatal secondary articulation] (dialects and whatnot)
18. Absence of any phonemic phonation distinction other than voicing
19. No clicks, ejectives, or ingressive consonants of any kind [half mark if one of these categories occurs not as a series]
20. 7 or more vowel qualities [half mark for 5 or more]
21. Three or more diphthongs
22. No non-low back unrounded vowels [half mark if no high back unrounded vowels]
23. One front rounded vowel
24. Two or more front rounded vowels
25. No vowel harmony
26. Vowels distinguished solely by height, frontness, roundedness and length. (i.e. no voice distinctions, rhotic vowels, ATR, nasal vowels, etc) [half mark for nasal vowels not occuring at all vowel qualities]
27. More than three degrees of vowel height
28. Phonemic stress (half mark because it's exceedingly marginal)
29. No phonemic tone [half mark for two-tone languages]
30. Syllables without onset consonants allowed
31. CVL syllables allowed (L = lateral or rhotic)
32. CVN syllables allowed (N = nasal)
33. CVF syllables allowed (F = fricative)
34. CVS syllables allowed (S = stop)
35. CVCC syllables allowed
36. CVCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCF [half mark if CVCCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCCF] [no mark if CVCCC syllables not allowed]
37. CLV syllables allowed
38. FCV syllables allowed (F = fricative), where C is not a glide or a liquid. [but only half mark if C cannot be a member of a particular series (eg nasal, voiced, ejective, fricative etc) or POA]
39. CCCV syllables allowed
40. CCV syllables allowed but SSV or SSCV syllables not allowed (not including geminates)
41. CCCV syllables allowed but CCNV syllables not allowed
42. CCV syllables allowed but SNV syllables not allowed
43. Sonority hierarchy violation in consonant clusters allowed only for fricatives (stops -> fricatives -> liquids -> approximants)
44. One syllabic consonant, a rhotic [half mark if lateral or both]
45. (At least some) affricates treated as phonemes
46. No non-glottal POA with only one MOA, and that MOA isn't fricative [not counting /w/ as labial-velar or whatever]
47. No more than four POAs for stops (affricates not counted) [half mark for five, or counting affricates]
48. No initial nasal other than /m/ or /n/ (half mark if other initial nasals but not initial velar or uvular nasal)
49. No phonemic distinction of consonant length, or gemination, except across morpheme boundaries
50. No more than two series of fricatives
51. 9 or more vowel POAs AND no vowel harmony
52. No velar (or uvular, etc) nasals at all
53. Words can end in any consonant [half mark if 1-2 exceptions found]
54. Vowel mergers in unstressed syllables
55. More phonemes at a single coronal POA than at any other single POA

The following special questions are each worth 5 marks (in addition to any they may have gained in the above):
S1. No initial velar nasal
S2. No tone system with more than two tones
S3. Syllables of both CCV and CVC form appear (not necessarily for all C), where all Cs can be non-glides [2.5 marks if this is true but some Cs must be glides]
S4. At least 10 vowels in total (including length, quality, and syllable-specific tone, not including anything suprasegmental)
S5. No non-pulmonic consonants
S6. No phonation distinctions other than voiced/voiceless
S7. Phonemic voice distinction [2.5 marks if it is only one aspect of a distinction]
S8. Fricatives and affricates, added together, outnumber plain non-nasal stops [2.5 marks if fricatives, affricates, liquids and glides together outnumber (nasals + stops), OR if the fricatives+affricates EQUALS non-nasal stops]
S9. Ignoring stops and nasals: more fricatives than non-fricative consonants [2.5 marks if equal]

Score: 28%
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Conlangs: Nisuese, Apsish, Kaptaran, Pseudo-Ligurian

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by clawgrip »

Khmer

◐ 1. Absence of any phonemic POA for stops further back than velar [half mark for only one stop-POA behind velar, or for prominent allophonic stops behind velar] (glottal stop)
✔ 2. Phonemic voicing (simultaneous with ingressive)
✘ 3. Phonemic voicing only on stops and fricatives (no voicing on fricatives)
✘ 4. Voicing distinction on fricatives but only labial and/or coronal fricatives
✘ 5. At least two MOAs with identical POA arrays (close, but no ʔʰ)
✔ 6. One fewer phonemic POA for nasals than for stops and affricates combined (p t k c ʔ vs. m n ɲ ŋ)
◐ 7. No single MOA found at all POAs [half mark if only one MOA at all POAs] (stops at all POA)
✘ 8. At least one non-glottal POA with at least one fricative but no stops
✘ 9. Fricatives distinguish more POAs than (non-nasal) stops [half mark if they distinguish the same number]
✘ 10. More non-stops than stops (not counting nasals as either stops or non-stops)
✔ 11. Between 20 and 30 consonant phonemes [half mark if between 15 and 40] (21)
✔ 12. One phonemic lateral, distinguished from rhotics [half mark if more than one]
✔ 13. No lateral obstruents
✔ 14. One phonemic rhotic [half mark if more than one]
✔ 15. 5-7 POAs [half mark if at least 4 POAs]
✘ 16. 4 stop/affricate POAs (5)
✘ 17. No systematic secondary articulation at more than one POA and no double articulation [half mark if there is systematic palatal secondary articulation] (ingressives at two POAs)
✘ 18. Absence of any phonemic phonation distinction other than voicing (ingressives, aspiration (though aspiration may better be analyzed as stop + /h/))
✘ 19. No clicks, ejectives, or ingressive consonants of any kind [half mark if one of these categories occurs not as a series] (ingressives)
✔ 20. 7 or more vowel qualities [half mark for 5 or more] (10 basic vowels)
✔ 21. Three or more diphthongs (a great many)
✘ 22. No non-low back or mid unrounded vowels [half mark if no high back unrounded vowels]
✘ 23. One front rounded vowel
✘ 24. Two or more front rounded vowels
✔ 25. No vowel harmony
◐ 26. Vowels distinguished solely by height, frontness, roundedness and length. (i.e. no voice distinctions, rhotic vowels, ATR, nasal vowels, etc) [half mark for nasal vowels not occuring at all vowel qualities] (some vowels have something like harsh voice (I'm not sure what it's called) but it's not necessarily contrastive)
✔ 27. More than three degrees of vowel height (4)
✘ 28. Phonemic stress (stress exists but is predictable)
✔ 29. No phonemic tone [half mark for two-tone languages]
✘ 30. Syllables without onset consonants allowed (arguably takes a glottal stop)
✔ 31. CVL syllables allowed (L = lateral or rhotic)[/color] (final /l/; final /r/ lost in main dialect ("Khmer" is /kʰmae/))
✔ 32. CVN syllables allowed (N = nasal)
✔ 33. CVF syllables allowed (F = fricative) (final /h/ allowed, final /s/ disallowed)
✔ 34. CVS syllables allowed (S = stop) (always unreleased)
✘ 35. CVCC syllables allowed
✘ 36. CVCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCF [half mark if CVCCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCCF] [no mark if CVCCC syllables not allowed]
✔ 37. CLV syllables allowed
✔ 38. FCV syllables allowed (F = fricative), where C is not a glide or a liquid. [but only half mark if C cannot be a member of a particular series (eg nasal, voiced, ejective, fricative etc) or POA
✔ 39. CCCV syllables allowed rare examples exist
✘ 40. CCV syllables allowed but SSV or SSCV syllables not allowed (not including geminates)
✔ 41. CCCV syllables allowed but CCNV syllables not allowed
✘ 42. CCV syllables allowed but SNV syllables not allowed
✘ 43. Sonority hierarchy violation in consonant clusters allowed only for fricatives (stops -> fricatives -> liquids -> approximants)
✘ 44. One syllabic consonant, a rhotic [half mark if lateral or both] (no syllabic consonants)
✘ 45. (At least some) affricates treated as phonemes
✔ 46. No non-glottal POA with only one MOA, and that MOA isn't fricative [not counting /w/ as labial-velar or whatever]
◐ 47. No more than four POAs for stops (affricates not counted) [half mark for five, or counting affricates] (5)
✘ 48. No initial nasal other than /m/ or /n/ (half mark if other initial nasals but not initial velar or uvular nasal) (all four nasals allowed initially)
✔ 49. No phonemic distinction of consonant length, or gemination, except across morpheme boundaries
✔ 50. No more than two series of fricatives (the only fricatives are /s/ and /h/)
✔ 51. 9 or more vowel POAs AND no vowel harmony
✘ 52. No velar (or uvular, etc) nasals at all
✘ 53. Words can end in any consonant [half mark if 1-2 exceptions found] (/β ɹ j w/) (aspirates, voiced-ingressives, /r/, /s/ disallowed)
✘ 54. Vowel mergers in unstressed syllables
✔ 55. More phonemes at a single coronal POA than at any other single POA (7 dental/alveolar consonants)

The following special questions are each worth 5 marks (in addition to any they may have gained in the above)
✘ S1. No initial velar nasal
✔ S2. No tone system with more than two tones
✔ S3. Syllables of both CCV and CVC form appear (not necessarily for all C), where all Cs can be non-glides [2.5 marks if this is true but some Cs must be glides]
✔ S4. At least 10 vowels in total (including length, quality, and syllable-specific tone, not including anything suprasegmental) (there are so many vowels and diphthongs I can't be bothered counting them all)
✘ S5. No non-pulmonic consonants (ingressives)
✘ S6. No phonation distinctions other than voiced/voiceless (aspiration and ingressives, as mentioned above)
◐ S7. Phonemic voice distinction [2.5 marks if it is only one aspect of a distinction] (occurs simultaneously with ingressives)
✘ S8. Fricatives and affricates, added together, outnumber plain non-nasal stops [2.5 marks if fricatives, affricates, liquids and glides together outnumber (nasals + stops), OR if the fricatives+affricates EQUALS non-nasal stops] (11 stops, 4 nasals, 2 liquids, 2 fricatives, 2 approximants)
✘ S9. Ignoring stops and nasals: more fricatives than non-fricative consonants [2.5 marks if equal]

44.5%

Edited #22 to no and #1 to half marks since I didn't notice it says half marks for only one stop
Last edited by clawgrip on Wed Nov 06, 2013 5:54 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Nortaneous »

should change back to non-front in 22, i figured that was implied but khmer shouldn't get that point
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Nortaneous »

!Xoo

1. Absence of any phonemic POA for stops further back than velar [half mark for only one stop-POA behind velar, or for prominent allophonic stops behind velar]
2. Phonemic voicing
3. Phonemic voicing only on stops and fricatives
4. Voicing distinction on fricatives but only labial and/or coronal fricatives

5. /v/ but no /w/

6. One fewer phonemic POA for nasals than for stops and affricates combined

7. No single MOA found at all POAs [half mark if only one MOA at all POAs]

8. At least one non-glottal POA with at least one fricative but no stops
9. Fricatives distinguish more POAs than (non-nasal) stops [half mark if they distinguish the same number]

10. More non-stops than stops (not counting nasals as either stops or non-stops)

11. Between 20 and 30 consonant phonemes [half mark if between 15 and 40]
12. One phonemic lateral, distinguished from rhotics [half mark if more than one]

13. No lateral obstruents

14. One phonemic rhotic [half mark if more than one]

15. 5-7 POAs [half mark if at least 4 POAs]

16. 4 stop/affricate POAs

17. No systematic secondary articulation at more than one POA and no double articulation [half mark if there is systematic palatal secondary articulation]

18. Voicing as the only phonation distinction
19. No clicks, ejectives, or ingressive consonants of any kind [half mark if one of these categories occurs not as a series]

20. 7 or more vowel qualities [half mark for 5 or more]

21. Three or more diphthongs

22. No non-low back unrounded vowels [half mark if no high back unrounded vowels]

23. One front rounded vowel
24. Two or more front rounded vowels

25. No vowel harmony

26. Vowels distinguished solely by height, frontness, roundedness and length. (i.e. no voice distinctions, rhotic vowels, ATR, nasal vowels, etc) [half mark for nasal vowels not occuring at all vowel qualities]
27. More than three degrees of vowel height
28. Phonemic stress

29. No phonemic tone [half mark for two-tone languages][/color]
30. Syllables without onset consonants allowed

31. CVL syllables allowed (L = lateral or rhotic)

32. CVN syllables allowed (N = nasal)

33. CVF syllables allowed (F = fricative)
34. CVS syllables allowed (S = stop)
35. CVCC syllables allowed
36. CVCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCF [half mark if CVCCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCCF] [no mark if CVCCC syllables not allowed]

37. CLV syllables allowed

38. FCV syllables allowed (F = fricative), where C is not a glide or a liquid. [but only half mark if C cannot be a member of a particular series (eg nasal, voiced, ejective, fricative etc) or POA]

39. CCCV syllables allowed

40. CCV syllables allowed but SSV or SSCV syllables not allowed (not including geminates)

41. CCCV syllables allowed but CCNV syllables not allowed

42. CCV syllables allowed but SNV syllables not allowed
43. Sonority hierarchy violation in consonant clusters allowed only for fricatives (stops -> fricatives -> liquids -> approximants)
44. One syllabic consonant, a rhotic [half mark if lateral or both]

45. (At least some) affricates treated as phonemes

46. No non-glottal POA with only one MOA, and that MOA isn't fricative [not counting /w/ as labial-velar or whatever]

47. No more than four POAs for stops (affricates not counted) [half mark for five, or counting affricates]

48. No initial nasal other than /m/ or /n/ (half mark if other initial nasals but not initial velar or uvular nasal)

49. No phonemic distinction of consonant length, or gemination, except across morpheme boundaries

50. Presence of an approximant/non-alveolar rhotic

51. 9 or more vowel POAs AND no vowel harmony
52. No velar (or uvular, etc) nasals at all

53. Words can end in any consonant [half mark if 1-2 exceptions found]
54. Vowel mergers in unstressed syllables

55. More phonemes at a single coronal POA than at any other single POA


The following special questions are each worth 5 marks (in addition to any they may have gained in the above):
S1. No initial velar nasal

S2. No tone system with more than two tones

S3. Syllables of both CCV and CVC form appear (not necessarily for all C), where all Cs can be non-glides [2.5 marks if this is true but some Cs must be glides]

S4. At least 10 vowels in total (including length and quality, but not syllable-specific tone or phonation)

S5. No non-pulmonic consonants
S6. No phonation distinctions other than voiced/voiceless

S7. Phonemic voice distinction [2.5 marks if it is only one aspect of a distinction][/color]
S8. Fricatives and affricates, added together, outnumber plain non-nasal stops [2.5 marks if fricatives, affricates, liquids and glides together outnumber (nasals + stops), OR if the fricatives+affricates EQUALS non-nasal stops]

S9. Ignoring stops and nasals: more fricatives than non-fricative consonants [2.5 marks if equal]


33.5%
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Ser »

Nortaneous wrote:should change back to non-front in 22, i figured that was implied but khmer shouldn't get that point
Instead of "non-front, non-back" you could just re-write it as "no /ɨ ʍ ɘ/ or a high /ɤ/ pls".

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Nortaneous »

Serafín wrote:
Nortaneous wrote:should change back to non-front in 22, i figured that was implied but khmer shouldn't get that point
Instead of "non-front, non-back" you could just re-write it as "no /ɨ ʍ ɘ/ or a high /ɤ/ pls".
Serafín wrote:ʍ
anyway it's more like no /ɨ ɯ ɘ ɤ/ and for schwa it depends
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Ser »

Wrong X-SAMPA code, and I didn't bother reading the result. W instead of M--why are the shapes fucking reversed?? W = ʍ and M = ɯ.

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Nortaneous »

American English, local dialect, my analysis (this doesn't accurately represent what I speak; my idiolect is more conservative)

1. Absence of any phonemic POA for stops further back than velar [half mark for only one stop-POA behind velar, or for prominent allophonic stops behind velar]
2. Phonemic voicing

3. Phonemic voicing only on stops and fricatives
(unless /ʍ/)
4. Voicing distinction on fricatives but only labial and/or coronal fricatives (unless /ʍ/)
5. /v/ but no /w/

6. One fewer phonemic POA for nasals than for stops and affricates combined

7. No single MOA found at all POAs [half mark if only one MOA at all POAs]

8. At least one non-glottal POA with at least one fricative but no stops

9. Fricatives distinguish more POAs than (non-nasal) stops [half mark if they distinguish the same number]

10. More non-stops than stops (not counting nasals as either stops or non-stops)

11. Between 20 and 30 consonant phonemes [half mark if between 15 and 40]

12. One phonemic lateral, distinguished from rhotics [half mark if more than one]

13. No lateral obstruents
14. One phonemic rhotic [half mark if more than one]
15. 5-7 POAs [half mark if at least 4 POAs]
16. 4 stop/affricate POAs

17. No systematic secondary articulation at more than one POA and no double articulation [half mark if there is systematic palatal secondary articulation]

18. Voicing as the only phonation distinction

19. No clicks, ejectives, or ingressive consonants of any kind [half mark if one of these categories occurs not as a series]
20. 7 or more vowel qualities [half mark for 5 or more]
21. Three or more diphthongs

22. No non-low back unrounded vowels [half mark if no high back unrounded vowels]

23. One front rounded vowel

24. Two or more front rounded vowels
(the front-back split of historical /o/ isn't predictable, but the split of /u/ is)
25. No vowel harmony
26. Vowels distinguished solely by height, frontness, roundedness and length. (i.e. no voice distinctions, rhotic vowels, ATR, nasal vowels, etc) [half mark for nasal vowels not occuring at all vowel qualities]

27. More than three degrees of vowel height
28. Phonemic stress

29. No phonemic tone [half mark for two-tone languages]
30. Syllables without onset consonants allowed

31. CVL syllables allowed (L = lateral or rhotic)
32. CVN syllables allowed (N = nasal)
33. CVF syllables allowed (F = fricative)
34. CVS syllables allowed (S = stop)
35. CVCC syllables allowed

36. CVCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCF [half mark if CVCCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCCF] [no mark if CVCCC syllables not allowed]

37. CLV syllables allowed
38. FCV syllables allowed (F = fricative), where C is not a glide or a liquid. [but only half mark if C cannot be a member of a particular series (eg nasal, voiced, ejective, fricative etc) or POA]
39. CCCV syllables allowed
40. CCV syllables allowed but SSV or SSCV syllables not allowed (not including geminates)
41. CCCV syllables allowed but CCNV syllables not allowed
42. CCV syllables allowed but SNV syllables not allowed

43. Sonority hierarchy violation in consonant clusters allowed only for fricatives (stops -> fricatives -> liquids -> approximants)

44. One syllabic consonant, a rhotic [half mark if lateral or both]
45. (At least some) affricates treated as phonemes

46. No non-glottal POA with only one MOA, and that MOA isn't fricative [not counting /w/ as labial-velar or whatever]

47. No more than four POAs for stops (affricates not counted) [half mark for five, or counting affricates]

48. No initial nasal other than /m/ or /n/ (half mark if other initial nasals but not initial velar or uvular nasal)

49. No phonemic distinction of consonant length, or gemination, except across morpheme boundaries

50. Presence of an approximant/non-alveolar rhotic
51. 9 or more vowel POAs AND no vowel harmony

52. No velar (or uvular, etc) nasals at all

53. Words can end in any consonant [half mark if 1-2 exceptions found]
(/h w j/ and arguably /r/)
54. Vowel mergers in unstressed syllables (though it isn't regular anymore)
55. More phonemes at a single coronal POA than at any other single POA

The following special questions are each worth 5 marks (in addition to any they may have gained in the above):
S1. No initial velar nasal
S2. No tone system with more than two tones
S3. Syllables of both CCV and CVC form appear (not necessarily for all C), where all Cs can be non-glides [2.5 marks if this is true but some Cs must be glides]
S4. At least 10 vowels in total (including length and quality, but not syllable-specific tone or phonation)
S5. No non-pulmonic consonants
S6. No phonation distinctions other than voiced/voiceless

S7. Phonemic voice distinction [2.5 marks if it is only one aspect of a distinction] (shouldn't count the fortis-lenis thing as different, since it appears in all Germanic languages)
S8. Fricatives and affricates, added together, outnumber plain non-nasal stops [2.5 marks if fricatives, affricates, liquids and glides together outnumber (nasals + stops), OR if the fricatives+affricates EQUALS non-nasal stops]
S9. Ignoring stops and nasals: more fricatives than non-fricative consonants [2.5 marks if equal]


92.5%
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nää džunnfin kukuch vklaivei sivei tåd.
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by finlay »

Serafín wrote:Wrong X-SAMPA code, and I didn't bother reading the result. W instead of M--why are the shapes fucking reversed?? W = ʍ and M = ɯ.
Because ɯ is a form of m and ʍ is a form of w, turned upside-down.

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by tezcatlip0ca »

Has anyone tried to create a phonology that passes the test with 100%?
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by cromulant »

What is the most SAE European language family?

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by R.Rusanov »

uto aztecan.
Slava, čĭstŭ, hrabrostĭ!

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Znex »

I dunno if anyone's done this one yet.

Attic Greek:

1. Absence of any phonemic POA for stops further back than velar [half mark for only one stop-POA behind velar, or for prominent allophonic stops behind velar]
2. Phonemic voicing
3. Phonemic voicing only on stops and fricatives
4. Voicing distinction on fricatives but only labial and/or coronal fricatives
5. At least two MOAs with identical POA arrays (are regular stops and ejectives different MOAs? I'll consider them to be for the rest of the survey)
6. One fewer phonemic POA for nasals than for stops and affricates combined
7. No single MOA found at all POAs [half mark if only one MOA at all POAs]
8. At least one non-glottal POA with at least one fricative but no stops
9. Fricatives distinguish more POAs than (non-nasal) stops [half mark if they distinguish the same number]
10. More non-stops than stops (not counting nasals as either stops or non-stops)
11. Between 20 and 30 consonant phonemes [half mark if between 15 and 40] (just got in there)
12. One phonemic lateral, distinguished from rhotics [half mark if more than one]
13. No lateral obstruents
14. One phonemic rhotic [half mark if more than one]
15. 5-7 POAs [half mark if at least 4 POAs]
16. 4 stop/affricate POAs
17. No systematic secondary articulation at more than one POA and no double articulation [half mark if there is systematic palatal secondary articulation]
18. Absence of any phonemic phonation distinction other than voicing
19. No clicks, ejectives, or ingressive consonants of any kind [half mark if one of these categories occurs not as a series]
20. 7 or more vowel qualities [half mark for 5 or more] (length-dependent)
21. Three or more diphthongs
22. No non-low back unrounded vowels [half mark if no high back unrounded vowels]
23. One front rounded vowel
24. Two or more front rounded vowels
25. No vowel harmony
26. Vowels distinguished solely by height, frontness, roundedness and length. (i.e. no voice distinctions, rhotic vowels, ATR, nasal vowels, etc) [half mark for nasal vowels not occuring at all vowel qualities]
27. More than three degrees of vowel height (in long vowels)
28. Phonemic stress
29. No phonemic tone [half mark for two-tone languages]
30. Syllables without onset consonants allowed
31. CVL syllables allowed (L = lateral or rhotic)
32. CVN syllables allowed (N = nasal)
33. CVF syllables allowed (F = fricative)
34. CVS syllables allowed (S = stop)
35. CVCC syllables allowed
36. CVCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCF [half mark if CVCCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCCF] [no mark if CVCCC syllables not allowed] (eg. φάλαγξ (phalanx))
37. CLV syllables allowed
38. FCV syllables allowed (F = fricative), where C is not a glide or a liquid. [but only half mark if C cannot be a member of a particular series (eg nasal, voiced, ejective, fricative etc) or POA] (σλ & σρ both appear as onsets)
39. CCCV syllables allowed
40. CCV syllables allowed but SSV or SSCV syllables not allowed (not including geminates) (eg. πταίω)
41. CCCV syllables allowed but CCNV syllables not allowed
42. CCV syllables allowed but SNV syllables not allowed (eg. πνεῦμα)
43. Sonority hierarchy violation in consonant clusters allowed only for fricatives (stops -> fricatives -> liquids -> approximants)
44. One syllabic consonant, a rhotic [half mark if lateral or both]
45. (At least some) affricates treated as phonemes (at least, if <ζ> = [zd] and not [dz])
46. No non-glottal POA with only one MOA, and that MOA isn't fricative [not counting /w/ as labial-velar or whatever]
47. No more than four POAs for stops (affricates not counted) [half mark for five, or counting affricates]
48. No initial nasal other than /m/ or /n/ (half mark if other initial nasals but not initial velar or uvular nasal)
49. No phonemic distinction of consonant length, or gemination, except across morpheme boundaries
50. No more than two series of fricatives
51. 9 or more vowel POAs AND no vowel harmony
52. No velar (or uvular, etc) nasals at all
53. Words can end in any consonant [half mark if 1-2 exceptions found]
54. Vowel mergers in unstressed syllables
55. More phonemes at a single coronal POA than at any other single POA

The following special questions are each worth 5 marks (in addition to any they may have gained in the above):
S1. No initial velar nasal
S2. No tone system with more than two tones
S3. Syllables of both CCV and CVC form appear (not necessarily for all C), where all Cs can be non-glides [2.5 marks if this is true but some Cs must be glides]
S4. At least 10 vowels in total (including length, quality, and syllable-specific tone, not including anything suprasegmental)
S5. No non-pulmonic consonants
S6. No phonation distinctions other than voiced/voiceless
S7. Phonemic voice distinction [2.5 marks if it is only one aspect of a distinction]
S8. Fricatives and affricates, added together, outnumber plain non-nasal stops [2.5 marks if fricatives, affricates, liquids and glides together outnumber (nasals + stops), OR if the fricatives+affricates EQUALS non-nasal stops]
S9. Ignoring stops and nasals: more fricatives than non-fricative consonants [2.5 marks if equal]

Score: 57.5%
Last edited by Znex on Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Grunnen »

I thought it would be interesting to try this with my own language, using my own dialect (fairly typical standard northern Dutch)

1. Absence of any phonemic POA for stops further back than velar [half mark for only one stop-POA behind velar, or for prominent allophonic stops behind velar
2. Phonemic voicing
3. Phonemic voicing only on stops and fricatives (unless /ʍ/)
4. Voicing distinction on fricatives but only labial and/or coronal fricatives (unless /ʍ/)
5. /v/ but no /w/ Tricky one, but let's say yes
6. One fewer phonemic POA for nasals than for stops and affricates combined
7. No single MOA found at all POAs [half mark if only one MOA at all POAs]
8. At least one non-glottal POA with at least one fricative but no stops
9. Fricatives distinguish more POAs than (non-nasal) stops [half mark if they distinguish the same number]
10. More non-stops than stops (not counting nasals as either stops or non-stops) (non stops being fricatives, liquids and glides I suppose?)
11. Between 20 and 30 consonant phonemes [half mark if between 15 and 40]
12. One phonemic lateral, distinguished from rhotics [half mark if more than one] does uvular approximant/fricative count as rhotic these days?
13. No lateral obstruents
14. One phonemic rhotic [half mark if more than one]
15. 5-7 POAs [half mark if at least 4 POAs]
16. 4 stop/affricate POAs
17. No systematic secondary articulation at more than one POA and no double articulation [half mark if there is systematic palatal secondary articulation]
18. Voicing as the only phonation distinction
19. No clicks, ejectives, or ingressive consonants of any kind [half mark if one of these categories occurs not as a series]
20. 7 or more vowel qualities [half mark for 5 or more]
21. Three or more diphthongs
22. No non-low back unrounded vowels [half mark if no high back unrounded vowels]
23. One front rounded vowel I take that as meaning AT LEAST one?
24. Two or more front rounded vowels [/color]
25. No vowel harmony
26. Vowels distinguished solely by height, frontness, roundedness and length. (i.e. no voice distinctions, rhotic vowels, ATR, nasal vowels, etc) [half mark for nasal vowels not occuring at all vowel qualities] I'll take the so called length distinction that's often seen as actually being an ATR thing as hight.
27. More than three degrees of vowel height
28. Phonemic stress
29. No phonemic tone [half mark for two-tone languages]
30. Syllables without onset consonants allowed
31. CVL syllables allowed (L = lateral or rhotic)phonemically yes, phonetically not
32. CVN syllables allowed (N = nasal)
33. CVF syllables allowed (F = fricative)
34. CVS syllables allowed (S = stop)
35. CVCC syllables allowed

36. CVCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCF [half mark if CVCCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCCF] [no mark if CVCCC syllables not allowed [hERfst]
37. CLV syllables allowed
38. FCV syllables allowed (F = fricative), where C is not a glide or a liquid. [but only half mark if C cannot be a member of a particular series (eg nasal, voiced, ejective, fricative etc) or POA]
39. CCCV syllables allowed

40. CCV syllables allowed but SSV or SSCV syllables not allowed (not including geminates) [sXap]
41. CCCV syllables allowed but CCNV syllables not allowed
42. CCV syllables allowed but SNV syllables not allowed [fn9yk@]
43. Sonority hierarchy violation in consonant clusters allowed only for fricatives (stops -> fricatives -> liquids -> approximants)
44. One syllabic consonant, a rhotic [half mark if lateral or both]
45. (At least some) affricates treated as phonemes (only marginally in loanwords)
46. No non-glottal POA with only one MOA, and that MOA isn't fricative [not counting /w/ as labial-velar or whatever]
47. No more than four POAs for stops (affricates not counted) [half mark for five, or counting affricates]
48. No initial nasal other than /m/ or /n/ (half mark if other initial nasals but not initial velar or uvular nasal)
49. No phonemic distinction of consonant length, or gemination, except across morpheme boundaries degemination works across word boundaries
50. Presence of an approximant/non-alveolar rhotic
51. 9 or more vowel POAs AND no vowel harmony
52. No velar (or uvular, etc) nasals at all
53. Words can end in any consonant [half mark if 1-2 exceptions found] no h and no voiced obstruents, making for a total of 5 exceptions (b, d, v, z, h)
54. Vowel mergers in unstressed syllables it happens diacronically all the time, but isn't really part of the phonology
55. More phonemes at a single coronal POA than at any other single POA coronal equals labial (taking bilabial and labiodental as a single POA)

The following special questions are each worth 5 marks (in addition to any they may have gained in the above):
S1. No initial velar nasal
S2. No tone system with more than two tones
S3. Syllables of both CCV and CVC form appear (not necessarily for all C), where all Cs can be non-glides [2.5 marks if this is true but some Cs must be glides]
S4. At least 10 vowels in total (including length and quality, but not syllable-specific tone or phonation)
S5. No non-pulmonic consonants
S6. No phonation distinctions other than voiced/voiceless
S7. Phonemic voice distinction [2.5 marks if it is only one aspect of a distinction] (shouldn't count the fortis-lenis thing as different, since it appears in all Germanic languages)
S8. Fricatives and affricates, added together, outnumber plain non-nasal stops [2.5 marks if fricatives, affricates, liquids and glides together outnumber (nasals + stops), OR if the fricatives+affricates EQUALS non-nasal stops] if we're counting h as a fricative
S9. Ignoring stops and nasals: more fricatives than non-fricative consonants [2.5 marks if equal]

Not sure how you get to the percentage, given the bonus questions at the end, but without those the score is 77%, and as I got all bonus points, I'm probably going to end up pretty close to 100%. But what would you expect from a language bordering French, German and English?
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Znex »

Grunnen wrote:Not sure how you get to the percentage, given the bonus questions at the end, but without those the score is 77%, and as I got all bonus points, I'm probably going to end up pretty close to 100%. But what would you expect from a language bordering French, German and English?
I'm pretty sure that including the extra 45 points from all of the bonus questions, the total possible marks sum up to 100 anyway. So your percentage score would be:

87.5%
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Grunnen »

Znex wrote:
Grunnen wrote:Not sure how you get to the percentage, given the bonus questions at the end, but without those the score is 77%, and as I got all bonus points, I'm probably going to end up pretty close to 100%. But what would you expect from a language bordering French, German and English?
I'm pretty sure that including the extra 45 points from all of the bonus questions, the total possible marks sum up to 100 anyway. So your percentage score would be:

87.5%
Ah, yes, that makes sense. Thanks
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Dē Graut Bʉr »

Lets see what I get if I do the test with my Dutch:

1. Absence of any phonemic POA for stops further back than velar [half mark for only one stop-POA behind velar, or for prominent allophonic stops behind velar
2. Phonemic voicing
3. Phonemic voicing only on stops and fricatives
4. Voicing distinction on fricatives but only labial and/or coronal fricatives
5. /v/ but no /w/
6. One fewer phonemic POA for nasals than for stops and affricates combined
7. No single MOA found at all POAs [half mark if only one MOA at all POAs]
8. At least one non-glottal POA with at least one fricative but no stops
9. Fricatives distinguish more POAs than (non-nasal) stops [half mark if they distinguish the same number]
10. More non-stops than stops (not counting nasals as either stops or non-stops)
11. Between 20 and 30 consonant phonemes [half mark if between 15 and 40]
12. One phonemic lateral, distinguished from rhotics [half mark if more than one]
13. No lateral obstruents
14. One phonemic rhotic [half mark if more than one]
15. 5-7 POAs [half mark if at least 4 POAs]
16. 4 stop/affricate POAs
17. No systematic secondary articulation at more than one POA and no double articulation [half mark if there is systematic palatal secondary articulation]
18. Voicing as the only phonation distinction
19. No clicks, ejectives, or ingressive consonants of any kind [half mark if one of these categories occurs not as a series]
20. 7 or more vowel qualities [half mark for 5 or more]
21. Three or more diphthongs
22. No non-low back unrounded vowels [half mark if no high back unrounded vowels]
23. One front rounded vowel
24. Two or more front rounded vowels
25. No vowel harmony
26. Vowels distinguished solely by height, frontness, roundedness and length. (i.e. no voice distinctions, rhotic vowels, ATR, nasal vowels, etc) [half mark for nasal vowels not occuring at all vowel qualities]
27. More than three degrees of vowel height
28. Phonemic stress
29. No phonemic tone [half mark for two-tone languages]
30. Syllables without onset consonants allowed
31. CVL syllables allowed (L = lateral or rhotic)
32. CVN syllables allowed (N = nasal)
33. CVF syllables allowed (F = fricative)
34. CVS syllables allowed (S = stop)
35. CVCC syllables allowed
36. CVCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCF [half mark if CVCCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCCF] [no mark if CVCCC syllables not allowed]
37. CLV syllables allowed
38. FCV syllables allowed (F = fricative), where C is not a glide or a liquid. [but only half mark if C cannot be a member of a particular series (eg nasal, voiced, ejective, fricative etc) or POA]
39. CCCV syllables allowed
40. CCV syllables allowed but SSV or SSCV syllables not allowed (not including geminates)
41. CCCV syllables allowed but CCNV syllables not allowed
42. CCV syllables allowed but SNV syllables not allowed
43. Sonority hierarchy violation in consonant clusters allowed only for fricatives (stops -> fricatives -> liquids -> approximants)
44. One syllabic consonant, a rhotic [half mark if lateral or both]
45. (At least some) affricates treated as phonemes
46. No non-glottal POA with only one MOA, and that MOA isn't fricative [not counting /w/ as labial-velar or whatever]
47. No more than four POAs for stops (affricates not counted) [half mark for five, or counting affricates]
48. No initial nasal other than /m/ or /n/ (half mark if other initial nasals but not initial velar or uvular nasal)
49. No phonemic distinction of consonant length, or gemination, except across morpheme boundaries degemination works across word boundaries
50. Presence of an approximant/non-alveolar rhotic
51. 9 or more vowel POAs AND no vowel harmony
52. No velar (or uvular, etc) nasals at all
53. Words can end in any consonant [half mark if 1-2 exceptions found]
54. Vowel mergers in unstressed syllables
55. More phonemes at a single coronal POA than at any other single POA

The following special questions are each worth 5 marks (in addition to any they may have gained in the above):
S1. No initial velar nasal
S2. No tone system with more than two tones
S3. Syllables of both CCV and CVC form appear (not necessarily for all C), where all Cs can be non-glides [2.5 marks if this is true but some Cs must be glides]
S4. At least 10 vowels in total (including length and quality, but not syllable-specific tone or phonation)
S5. No non-pulmonic consonants
S6. No phonation distinctions other than voiced/voiceless
S7. Phonemic voice distinction [2.5 marks if it is only one aspect of a distinction]
S8. Fricatives and affricates, added together, outnumber plain non-nasal stops [2.5 marks if fricatives, affricates, liquids and glides together outnumber (nasals + stops), OR if the fricatives+affricates EQUALS non-nasal stops]
S9. Ignoring stops and nasals: more fricatives than non-fricative consonants [2.5 marks if equal]

89.5%

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Grunnen »

Dē Graut Bʉr wrote:Lets see what I get if I do the test with my Dutch:

89.5%
Funny, we get almost the same percentage, but we do not always have the same red lines. May I ask what region your accent comes from? Although perhaps the differences are more to do with a difference in analysis. That's still possible I suppose.
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Dē Graut Bʉr »

I'm from Brabant. Some of the differences are because of the slightly different accent, while others are indeed because of a difference in analysis.

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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by Grunnen »

Dē Graut Bʉr wrote:I'm from Brabant. Some of the differences are because of the slightly different accent, while others are indeed because of a difference in analysis.
Looks like it. I'm originally from Groningen myself, but people tend to be rather surprised when I tell them.
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by kanejam »

Code: Select all

m   n    ɲ
p   t tʃ   k
b   d dʒ   g
    s ʃ  ç
β v z ʒ
    ɹ l  j

a ɛ œ ɔ e ø o i y u
au ɔu ai ɛi œy
(FCCL)V(LNCC) syllable structure
Phonemic stress, no harmony, vowels reduce to ɪ ɵ ɐ in unstressed syllables
E.g. /ʒdɹ̩nks/ [ʒdɹ̩ŋks], /pɹœylˈktoɲaβ/ [pɹɵlˈktoɲɐβ]
1. Absence of any phonemic POA for stops further back than velar [half mark for only one stop-POA behind velar, or for prominent allophonic stops behind velar
2. Phonemic voicing
3. Phonemic voicing only on stops and fricatives
4. Voicing distinction on fricatives but only labial and/or coronal fricatives
5. /v/ but no /w/
6. One fewer phonemic POA for nasals than for stops and affricates combined
7. No single MOA found at all POAs [half mark if only one MOA at all POAs] Are we counting bilabial and liabodental or postalveolar and palatal as different?
8. At least one non-glottal POA with at least one fricative but no stops
9. Fricatives distinguish more POAs than (non-nasal) stops [half mark if they distinguish the same number]
10. More non-stops than stops (not counting nasals as either stops or non-stops)
11. Between 20 and 30 consonant phonemes [half mark if between 15 and 40]
12. One phonemic lateral, distinguished from rhotics [half mark if more than one]
13. No lateral obstruents
14. One phonemic rhotic [half mark if more than one]
15. 5-7 POAs [half mark if at least 4 POAs]
16. 4 stop/affricate POAs
17. No systematic secondary articulation at more than one POA and no double articulation [half mark if there is systematic palatal secondary articulation]
18. Voicing as the only phonation distinction
19. No clicks, ejectives, or ingressive consonants of any kind [half mark if one of these categories occurs not as a series]
20. 7 or more vowel qualities [half mark for 5 or more]
21. Three or more diphthongs
22. No non-low back unrounded vowels [half mark if no high back unrounded vowels]
23. One front rounded vowel
24. Two or more front rounded vowels
25. No vowel harmony
26. Vowels distinguished solely by height, frontness, roundedness and length. (i.e. no voice distinctions, rhotic vowels, ATR, nasal vowels, etc) [half mark for nasal vowels not occuring at all vowel qualities]
27. More than three degrees of vowel height
28. Phonemic stress
29. No phonemic tone [half mark for two-tone languages]
30. Syllables without onset consonants allowed
31. CVL syllables allowed (L = lateral or rhotic)
32. CVN syllables allowed (N = nasal)
33. CVF syllables allowed (F = fricative)
34. CVS syllables allowed (S = stop)
35. CVCC syllables allowed
36. CVCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCF [half mark if CVCCCC syllables not allowed other than CVCCCF] [no mark if CVCCC syllables not allowed]
37. CLV syllables allowed
38. FCV syllables allowed (F = fricative), where C is not a glide or a liquid. [but only half mark if C cannot be a member of a particular series (eg nasal, voiced, ejective, fricative etc) or POA]
39. CCCV syllables allowed
40. CCV syllables allowed but SSV or SSCV syllables not allowed (not including geminates)
41. CCCV syllables allowed but CCNV syllables not allowed
42. CCV syllables allowed but SNV syllables not allowed
43. Sonority hierarchy violation in consonant clusters allowed only for fricatives (stops -> fricatives -> liquids -> approximants)
44. One syllabic consonant, a rhotic [half mark if lateral or both]
45. (At least some) affricates treated as phonemes
46. No non-glottal POA with only one MOA, and that MOA isn't fricative [not counting /w/ as labial-velar or whatever]
47. No more than four POAs for stops (affricates not counted) [half mark for five, or counting affricates]
48. No initial nasal other than /m/ or /n/ (half mark if other initial nasals but not initial velar or uvular nasal)
49. No phonemic distinction of consonant length, or gemination, except across morpheme boundaries degemination works across word boundaries
50. Presence of an approximant/non-alveolar rhotic
51. 9 or more vowel POAs AND no vowel harmony Wait, what's a vowel POA?
52. No velar (or uvular, etc) nasals at all
53. Words can end in any consonant [half mark if 1-2 exceptions found]
54. Vowel mergers in unstressed syllables
55. More phonemes at a single coronal POA than at any other single POA

The following special questions are each worth 5 marks (in addition to any they may have gained in the above):
S1. No initial velar nasal
S2. No tone system with more than two tones
S3. Syllables of both CCV and CVC form appear (not necessarily for all C), where all Cs can be non-glides [2.5 marks if this is true but some Cs must be glides]
S4. At least 10 vowels in total (including length and quality, but not syllable-specific tone or phonation)
S5. No non-pulmonic consonants
S6. No phonation distinctions other than voiced/voiceless
S7. Phonemic voice distinction [2.5 marks if it is only one aspect of a distinction]
S8. Fricatives and affricates, added together, outnumber plain non-nasal stops [2.5 marks if fricatives, affricates, liquids and glides together outnumber (nasals + stops), OR if the fricatives+affricates EQUALS non-nasal stops]
S9. Ignoring stops and nasals: more fricatives than non-fricative consonants [2.5 marks if equal]

100% Hopefully I've got the syllable structure sorted and I think I don't have any clashes with the rules. Could probably do this again but with vowel length.
If you cannot change your mind, are you sure you have one?

Here's a thread on Oscan.

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ObsequiousNewt
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by ObsequiousNewt »

A vowel POA is a unique comination of frontness and height. You have ten POAs (or 13 if roundedness counts, which I think it doesn't), seven of which are phonemic: a, ɛ/œ, ɔ, e/ø, o, i/y, u, ɪ, ɵ, ɐ.


Ο ορανς τα ανα̨ριθομον ϝερρον εͱεν ανθροποτροφον.
Το̨ ανθροπς αυ̨τ εκψον επ αθο̨ οραναμο̨ϝον.
Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν. Θαιν.

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kanejam
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Re: How to design a non-European phonology

Post by kanejam »

ObsequiousNewt wrote:A vowel POA is a unique comination of frontness and height. You have ten POAs (or 13 if roundedness counts, which I think it doesn't), seven of which are phonemic: a, ɛ/œ, ɔ, e/ø, o, i/y, u, ɪ, ɵ, ɐ.
Hmmm, the last three aren't phonemic though, so maybe I need to add some extra vowels. Maybe ɪ ʊ ɐ are all phonemic vowels now and change the unstressed vowels: front vowels reduce to ɘ, back vowels reduce to ɵ and high vowels reduce to ə.
If you cannot change your mind, are you sure you have one?

Here's a thread on Oscan.

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