Bircena: Difference between revisions

1,090 bytes added ,  7 May 2013
Line 140: Line 140:
===Phonotactics===
===Phonotactics===
<!-- Explain the consonant clusters and vowel clusters that are permissible for use in the language. For example, "st" is an allowed consonant cluster in English while onset "ng" isn't. -->
<!-- Explain the consonant clusters and vowel clusters that are permissible for use in the language. For example, "st" is an allowed consonant cluster in English while onset "ng" isn't. -->
The syllable structure is generally V or CV, with a marked but not complete aversion to codas.
Consonant clusters are only permitted if the consonants are (relatively) homorganic, of two different manners, and follow the sonority hierarchy. Therefore, "tsa" and "tla" are acceptable syllables, but "tfa" and "tna" are not. As obstruents are relatively equally sonorous, "sta" is also valid.
Some exceptions occur at morpheme boundaries, but these are generally interrupted in speech production by an epenthetic schwa (or harmonized vowel).
There is a minor form of vowel harmony, wherein a "weak" vowel will assimilate in height, backness, and/or rounding when surrounded by two identical vowels:
* ''kažö'' "throw" + ''-la'' "simple past" --> ''kažäla'' "threw"
* ''hünö'' "shine" + ''-tüvä'' "perf. future" --> ''hünütüvä'' "will have shone"
* ''hiźe'' "run" + ''-hi'' "pres. prog." --> ''hiźïhi'' "running"
* ''bure'' "tilt" + ''-suvo'' "incho. future" --> ''burosuvo'' "will become tilted"
This harmony never occurs within a root, but as a morphosyntactic process.


===Orthography===
===Orthography===
17

edits