User:Ceige/Lexember Language: Difference between revisions
Line 44: | Line 44: | ||
* Christian -> kirsan | * Christian -> kirsan | ||
* England -> Inan – ''Presumably Iran > Inon'' | * England -> Inan – ''Presumably Iran > Inon'' | ||
* Britain -> Pirten, Birten <!--(Bintai < Britannia with -rt- dissimilation; also possible: Yuke(i))--> <!-- nation > net or nehen > nen? --> | * Britain -> Pirten, Birten <!--(Bintai < Britannia with -rt- dissimilation; also possible: Yuke(i))--> <!-- nation > net or nehen > nen? Merge with -land or -> nai? Yi-nai? --> | ||
* Rabbit -> abi, nabi (bunny > bai?) | * Rabbit -> abi, nabi (bunny > bai?) | ||
Latest revision as of 04:07, 21 December 2017
Introduction
Influences include:
- Kiritimati (Christmas Island ala Kiribati)
- Japanese & Ainu
- Austronesian
Examples:
- Christmas > kirmat | きりまっ、待
- Christian > kirsan | きりさん、〜様
- Merry > mei, mai | めい、まい、美
Sound Changes
- CLV > CVr
- -VF > -VP
Phonology
Consonants
Plosives
- p (b) t k (*g)
/b/ might only be allowed in VCV situations. Not sure if /g/ is allowed too. Likely heavy restrictions on their occurrence.
This would leave /t/ the sole plosive for its POA, which is explainable by the /t/ /d/ merger of English'. Dento-alveolars are also better represented elsewhere (fricatives and liquids)
/t/ may change to palato-alveolar in the environment of /i/, and from there it is tempting to mirror Japanese.
Fricatives
- (f) s h
/f/ might only be allowed in Cu situations
Sonorants
- m n y w r
/n/ is the only nasal allowed at the end of a syllable, leaving /m/ to join /w/ and /y/ as syllable-initial consonants only. In contrast, /r/ yields to /n/ or /Ø/ word initially.
Vowels
- a e i o u
- ai, au, ei, *ou
/ou/ is exceedingly rare, if even possible. /ei/ is increasingly marginalised by some speakers and can merge with /ai/ - for others, /ei/ survives. /au/ is often realised as [äo] or [ao], and /ai/ sometimes as [äɪ], [ɑɪ] or [ɑj]. This has led to the suggestion that /au/ be replaced with /ao/ and written as such, without mirroring that with <ae>
Vocabulary
Western Loans
Salient Examples
- Christmas -> kirmat
- Christian -> kirsan
- England -> Inan – Presumably Iran > Inon
- Britain -> Pirten, Birten
- Rabbit -> abi, nabi (bunny > bai?)
Obscure Examples
- sai (confident affirmative) < "safe to say", "savvy".
- kai (plural marker) < "guys" (-> mikai, yukai)
- niti (free, freedom) < "liberty"
Sino-Xenic loans
- dai (big) cf. Jp. dai
- hak (school) cf. Jp. gaku
- daihak (university) cf. Jp. daigaku