Phoenician Reconstruction

[SlayerXX33398]

Hello, I'm new to the site as a member, but I've been lurking around for about a year now, and I'm currently trying to rewrite and reconstruct the grammar of the ancient Phoenician Language. The dialect I'm mainly reconstructing is based around 450-250 BC, maybe earlier, maybe later, and I've already written around 7 or 8 pages of grammar that I'm currently trying to type out into a digital form. If anyone's interested, I can email a copy of what I have typed out so far, but it's currently less than what's written. The main resources I'm using are Zellig Harris's 1936 book A Grammar of the Phoenician Language, the (relatively small) section on grammar off of Wikipedia, and some YouTube videos I've found uploaded by a user named Malkibaal that clearly use the knowledge from Harris, as well as Charles Krahmalkov's A Phoenician Punic Grammar. I'm also using the dictionary assembled by Maroun Kassab on http://www.canaanite.org.Currently, the digital copy of the grammar exists as a Microsoft Works document, but after completion, I will be saving it as a Word 97-2003 document for the best compatibility. As I said before, if anyone wants a copy, just message me. Also, I'm borrowing many things from Biblical Hebrew, as that is Phoenician's closest relative. If anyone has anything related to Phoenician grammar on their hard drive, I'd greatly appreciate it. However, I'm mainly in need of anything relating to nominal morphology, from Phoenician or any other Semitic language. And, of course, I plan on adding credit to all the resources I've got. Except Krahmalkov, since I can't find a copy of his book anywhere...

[Drydic]

I've got a copy of it. For what you're trying it would really help out, for a lot of listed words it has both original lettering and (I suppose) reconstructed forms*, though sadly not in inscriptions. If you have a question or something I could look it up for you.

http://www.amazon.com/Phoenician-Punic- ... 688&sr=8-1
or
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... dition=all

Here you go. Starting at $201. I got it for ~$100, I guess I got off lucky.


*here's the 1sg pronoun to give an example of what it shows for listed words:

Code: Select all

      written  reconstr    source
        ʾN   ʾanī         Ph
        [a]ni
        ʾNK   ʾanīki       Ph, Byb, Pu,NPu
        ʾNKY               Ph,Pu
        anec  ʾanīk        Pu
        anech              NPu
        anic               Pu

plus references where the forms are attested from.

Oh, also, nothing but MS Works can read MS Works files, since MS is a bitch and won't release its format.

[Thomas Winwood]

Oh, also, nothing but MS Works can read MS Works files, since MS is a bitch and won't release its format.

There's an open-source library for reading wps files cryptically named libwps, or the online converter service Zamzar; this page gives recommendations.

[Drydic]

Still. It's about the worst format possible (yes apparently there's things it can do that .doc can't, though I don't actually know what those are) for distribution. It's why I lost my best science report from my junior high school days, I lost access to MS Works and nothing then (this was ~1999) could read it.

[SlayerXX33398]

Basically, when it comes to the morphology, I only need a bit more on nouns, and I need information on adjectives and adverbs. I think I've got the nouns figured out. I still need quite a bit on syntax, phonotactics, etc. All I have so far is phonology and a 75% complete morphology. Also, I'm going to check that link every now and then to see if the price can go down. But yeah, Drydic Guy, if you could send me Krahmalkov's stuff on adjectives and adverbs, I'd be very grateful. If not, then, oh well, it did say in Harris's book that most of the grammar is similar to Hebrew. Hell, that's how I did the prepositions, was use the ones in his book, giving them vowels based on Biblical Hebrew. I'm actually doing this mainly just to see if I actually can, so the writing system in my ref. grammar has been simplified to allow for matres lectionis, even though it wasn't used in most Semitic languages until the last few centuries. Also, I looked at those pronouns you listed, and the one's I've already got are pretty similar, except I've got...

Code: Select all

Personal:		             Possessive
1ps: ́anōkī, ́anēkī	      |1ps: -ī, -nī
1pp: ̀ēnēhnō, nēhnō, nīhnū  |1pp: -ūn, -nū

Also, Works can save as a Word file, I was actually planning on doing that if needed...

[SlayerXX33398]

Wow, I'm just so fucking happy right now. Just found Krahmalkov on uz-translations. This made my day. I might actually be able to get somewhere with this now! Although, to be honest, considering my intentions for doing this project, I don't think I'll continue it. I really only wanted to see if I could develop a realistic grammar, yet I'm considering stopping this, and focusing on other things, i.e. my romlang.