Ihlleng: Difference between revisions
(Finished section on plurals) |
(Revamped phonology and plurals) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Illaeing [ˈilːɛiŋ] is another language spoken in my far-future Antarctic conworld. It is spoken on an island in the Ross Sea, and is distantly related to [[Kämpya]] (spoken on the west side of the Trans-Antarctic mountains), and shares a number of similarities. Due to the spread of the Laikyâr religion to the island, the language has been further influenced by Kämpya. | |||
In terms of syntax, both distinguish between alienable and inalienable possession, and both are topic prominent, secundative, and syntactically ergative (though in some aspects | In terms of syntax, both distinguish between alienable and inalienable possession, and both are topic prominent, secundative, and syntactically ergative (though in some aspects Illaeing is more like a fluid-S language), with some conflation between the ergative and the genitive case. Both mark restrictiveness on adjectives and relative clauses, but whereas Kämpya uses word order and tone, Illaeing uses prefixes. The morphology is considerably more complex than Kämpya, especially on verbs, which mark polypersonal agreement as well as inflecting for tense. In contrast, the phonology is simpler than Kämpya. | ||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
=== Vowels === | === Vowels === | ||
There are 7 phonemic vowel qualities /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ (the last two cannot occur word finally). There are | There are 7 phonemic vowel qualities /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ (the last two cannot occur word finally). There is also a contrastive pharyngealised low vowel /a̰/. There are 12 diphthongs: /ei/, /ɛi/, /ai/, /a̰i/, /ɔi/, /oi/, /eu/, /ɛu/, /au/, /a̰u/ /ɔu/ and /ou/. | ||
=== Consonants === | === Consonants === | ||
The following sounds are heard in | The following sounds are heard in Illaeing : | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
|- | |- | ||
! !! Labial !! Alveolar !! Lateral !! Palatal !! Velar | ! !! Labial !! Alveolar !! Lateral !! Palatal !! Velar | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Nasal || m || n || || | | Nasal || m || n || || || ŋ* | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Stop || | | Stop || p b || t d || || || k g | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Fricative || || s | | Fricative || f || s || || || x | ||
|- | |- | ||
| Approximant || | | Approximant || w || || l || j || ʁ | ||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
/ŋ/ cannot occur at the beginning of words. | /ŋ/ cannot occur at the beginning of words. | ||
| Line 44: | Line 38: | ||
====Initial Consonant Clusters==== | ====Initial Consonant Clusters==== | ||
Only a few initial consonant clusters are permitted. These are: /pl/, /pj/, /pw/, /mj/, /mw/, /tl/, /tj/, /tw/, /sj/, /sw/, /nj/, /nw/, /lj/, /lw/, /kl/, /kj/ and /kw/. | |||
/ | |||
====Coda Consonants==== | ====Coda Consonants==== | ||
At the end of words, any nasal or obstruent can appear in a coda | At the end of words, any nasal or obstruent can appear in a coda, as well as /ʁ/. However, elsewhere, the only possible coda consonant is a nasal, that must be homorganic with the following consonant e.g. the first person masculine singular present involitional is marked by the circumfix /om/ ... /no/. But when this is added to the verb stem /ˈlɛːipjɛiŋ/ - to sleep, the result is /onˈlɛːipjɛinno/ - I (masculine) sleep (involuntarily), with the /m/ and the /ŋ/ assimilating to /n/. | ||
===Suprasegmentals=== | ===Suprasegmentals=== | ||
One syllable in each word is stressed. Each stressed syllable either has a long vowel (e.g. / | One syllable in each word is stressed. Each stressed syllable either has a long vowel or diphthong (e.g. /ˈhlɛːipjɛiŋ/ - to sleep), or geminates the consonant or consonant cluster after it (e.g. /ˈilːɛiŋ/ - Illaeing). | ||
| Line 83: | Line 66: | ||
If the stressed syllable is open, but not the last syllable of the word, then the first consonant of the next syllable is reduplicated with it e.g. | If the stressed syllable is open, but not the last syllable of the word, then the first consonant of the next syllable is reduplicated with it e.g. | ||
/ | /ˈfeutːa̰/ - fruit -> /ˈfeutːa̰feut/ - fruits | ||
/ | /ˈmatːle/ - mother -> /ˈmatːlemat/ - mothers | ||
If the reduplication would cause an illegal consonant cluster, the second member of the cluster is deleted e.g. | |||
/ˈswɛbːit/ - rabbit -> /ˈswɛbːitwɛb/ - rabbits (not */ˈswɛbːitswɛb/) | |||
/ | /ˈmɛdːik/ - spell (magic) -> /ˈmɛdːikɛd/ - spells (not */ˈmɛdːikmɛd/) | ||
/ | If the reduplication would form a cluster such as /bl/ (which is illegal, however the voiceless equivalent /pl/ is allowed), then the cluster is devoiced. | ||
/ | /ˈkloːub/ - world -> /ˈkloːuploub/ - worlds (not */ˈkloːubloub/) | ||
/ | /ˈswekːɛud/ - record -> /ˈswekːɛutwek/ - records (not */ˈswekːɛudwek/) | ||
| Line 115: | Line 97: | ||
If the | If the noun root ends with a nasal, then it assimilates to the place of articulation of any following consonant in the reduplication e.g. | ||
/aˈlaːm/ - booby trap -> /aˈlaːnlam/ - booby traps (not */aˈlaːmlam/) | |||
/ˈbɔtːan/ - button -> /ˈbɔtːambɔt/ - buttons | /ˈbɔtːan/ - button -> /ˈbɔtːambɔt/ - buttons | ||
| Line 152: | Line 122: | ||
If a diphthong cannot be formed | If a diphthong cannot be formed, then some kind of contraction occurs. If the two vowels are identical, then they contract to one vowel e.g. | ||
/ | /ˈasːa/ - morning -> /ˈasːas/ - mornings | ||
If the two vowels are /a/ plus either /e/ or /o/ (in any order), then they contract to give /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ respectively e.g. | If the two vowels are /a/ plus either /e/ or /o/ (in any order), then they contract to give /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ respectively e.g. | ||
/ˈembːa/ - ember -> /ˈembːɛm/ - embers (not */ˈembːaem/) | /ˈembːa/ - ember -> /ˈembːɛm/ - embers (not */ˈembːaem/) | ||
| Line 172: | Line 139: | ||
Likewise, if the two vowels are /ɔ/ plus either /a/ or /o/, then they contract to /ɔ/ e.g. | Likewise, if the two vowels are /ɔ/ plus either /a/ or /o/, then they contract to /ɔ/ e.g. | ||
/ˈɔnːa/ - achievement -> / | /ˈɔnːa/ - achievement -> /ˈɔnːɔn/ - achievements | ||
| Line 191: | Line 158: | ||
However, there are many irregular plurals e.g. | |||
/ˈdɔkːa̰/ - doctor -> /ˈdɔkːa̰nɔk/ - doctors (not */ˈdɔkːa̰dɔk/) | |||
/ | /ˈxɛunːɛi/ - bone -> /ˈonːexɛun/ - bones (not */ˈxɛunːɛixɛun/) | ||
/ | /ˈtɛitːo/ - test -> /ˈtetːɛusɛus/ - tests | ||
/ˈjɛːuka̰/ - mark / grade / score -> /ˈjoːkajɛuk/ - marks / grades / scores | |||
/ˈmalːa̰/ - thug -> /ˈmalːama/ - thugs | |||
/ | /ˈantːjɛu/ - wilderness -> /ˈantːjɛwa̰n/ - wildernesses | ||
Revision as of 09:44, 29 April 2015
Illaeing [ˈilːɛiŋ] is another language spoken in my far-future Antarctic conworld. It is spoken on an island in the Ross Sea, and is distantly related to Kämpya (spoken on the west side of the Trans-Antarctic mountains), and shares a number of similarities. Due to the spread of the Laikyâr religion to the island, the language has been further influenced by Kämpya.
In terms of syntax, both distinguish between alienable and inalienable possession, and both are topic prominent, secundative, and syntactically ergative (though in some aspects Illaeing is more like a fluid-S language), with some conflation between the ergative and the genitive case. Both mark restrictiveness on adjectives and relative clauses, but whereas Kämpya uses word order and tone, Illaeing uses prefixes. The morphology is considerably more complex than Kämpya, especially on verbs, which mark polypersonal agreement as well as inflecting for tense. In contrast, the phonology is simpler than Kämpya.
Phonology
Vowels
There are 7 phonemic vowel qualities /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ (the last two cannot occur word finally). There is also a contrastive pharyngealised low vowel /a̰/. There are 12 diphthongs: /ei/, /ɛi/, /ai/, /a̰i/, /ɔi/, /oi/, /eu/, /ɛu/, /au/, /a̰u/ /ɔu/ and /ou/.
Consonants
The following sounds are heard in Illaeing :
| Labial | Alveolar | Lateral | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ* | ||
| Stop | p b | t d | k g | ||
| Fricative | f | s | x | ||
| Approximant | w | l | j | ʁ |
/ŋ/ cannot occur at the beginning of words.
Phonotactics
Only syllables of the form (C) (C) V (C) are permitted.
Initial Consonant Clusters
Only a few initial consonant clusters are permitted. These are: /pl/, /pj/, /pw/, /mj/, /mw/, /tl/, /tj/, /tw/, /sj/, /sw/, /nj/, /nw/, /lj/, /lw/, /kl/, /kj/ and /kw/.
Coda Consonants
At the end of words, any nasal or obstruent can appear in a coda, as well as /ʁ/. However, elsewhere, the only possible coda consonant is a nasal, that must be homorganic with the following consonant e.g. the first person masculine singular present involitional is marked by the circumfix /om/ ... /no/. But when this is added to the verb stem /ˈlɛːipjɛiŋ/ - to sleep, the result is /onˈlɛːipjɛinno/ - I (masculine) sleep (involuntarily), with the /m/ and the /ŋ/ assimilating to /n/.
Suprasegmentals
One syllable in each word is stressed. Each stressed syllable either has a long vowel or diphthong (e.g. /ˈhlɛːipjɛiŋ/ - to sleep), or geminates the consonant or consonant cluster after it (e.g. /ˈilːɛiŋ/ - Illaeing).
Morphology
Nouns
Plurals
Pluralisation is done by reduplicating the stressed syllable of the noun. The reduplication is placed after the noun root e.g.
/baˈnaː/ - banana -> /baˈnaːna/ - bananas
/ˈwindːo/ - wind -> /ˈwindːowin/ - winds
If the stressed syllable is open, but not the last syllable of the word, then the first consonant of the next syllable is reduplicated with it e.g.
/ˈfeutːa̰/ - fruit -> /ˈfeutːa̰feut/ - fruits
/ˈmatːle/ - mother -> /ˈmatːlemat/ - mothers
If the reduplication would cause an illegal consonant cluster, the second member of the cluster is deleted e.g.
/ˈswɛbːit/ - rabbit -> /ˈswɛbːitwɛb/ - rabbits (not */ˈswɛbːitswɛb/)
/ˈmɛdːik/ - spell (magic) -> /ˈmɛdːikɛd/ - spells (not */ˈmɛdːikmɛd/)
If the reduplication would form a cluster such as /bl/ (which is illegal, however the voiceless equivalent /pl/ is allowed), then the cluster is devoiced.
/ˈkloːub/ - world -> /ˈkloːuploub/ - worlds (not */ˈkloːubloub/)
/ˈswekːɛud/ - record -> /ˈswekːɛutwek/ - records (not */ˈswekːɛudwek/)
If the reduplication would create a word that ends in /j/ or /w/, then a diphthong is formed instead e.g.
/ˈnawːa/ - rope -> /ˈnawːanau/ - ropes
/ˈbajːa/ - bay -> /ˈbajːabai/ - bays
If the reduplication would create a word that ends in /l/, then the final /l/ is deleted e.g.
/osiˈbolːi/ - hand towel -> /osiˈbolːibo/ (not */osiˈbolːibol/)
If the noun root ends with a nasal, then it assimilates to the place of articulation of any following consonant in the reduplication e.g.
/aˈlaːm/ - booby trap -> /aˈlaːnlam/ - booby traps (not */aˈlaːmlam/)
/ˈbɔtːan/ - button -> /ˈbɔtːambɔt/ - buttons
If the noun root ends with a diphthong (/ai/, /au/, /ei/, /ou/, /eu/ or /ou/), and the stressed syllable is an initial syllable without an onset consonant, then the second part of the diphthong becomes a semivowel e.g.
/ˈekːau/ - echo -> /ˈekːawek/ - echoes (/u/ changes to /w/)
If the stressed syllable is an initial syllable without an onset consonant, then there is a possibility of the reduplication forming diphthongs e.g.
/ˈunːja/ - fingernail -> /ˈunːjaun/ - fingernails
/ˈumːo/ - fume -> /ˈumːoum/ - fumes
/ˈimːa/ - moment -> /ˈimːaim/ - moments
/ˈimːo/ - sweet potato -> /ˈimːoim/ - sweet potatoes
/ˈumːe/ - plum -> /ˈumːeum/ - plums
If a diphthong cannot be formed, then some kind of contraction occurs. If the two vowels are identical, then they contract to one vowel e.g.
/ˈasːa/ - morning -> /ˈasːas/ - mornings
If the two vowels are /a/ plus either /e/ or /o/ (in any order), then they contract to give /ɛ/ and /ɔ/ respectively e.g.
/ˈembːa/ - ember -> /ˈembːɛm/ - embers (not */ˈembːaem/)
If the two vowels are /ɛ/ plus either /a/ or /e/, then they contract to /ɛ/ e.g.
/ˈɛŋkːa/ - anchor -> /ˈɛŋkːɛŋ/ - anchors
Likewise, if the two vowels are /ɔ/ plus either /a/ or /o/, then they contract to /ɔ/ e.g.
/ˈɔnːa/ - achievement -> /ˈɔnːɔn/ - achievements
If one of the above assimilation rules doesn't apply, then the first vowel of the two vowel sequence becomes a semivowel e.g.
/ˈasːi/ - leg -> /ˈasːjas/ - legs
/ˈiŋkːu/ - ink -> /ˈiŋkːwiŋ/ - inks
/ˈɛːnto/ - ant -> /ˈɛːntwɛn/ - ants
However, if the above rule would put two semivowels together, the first vocalises to become a vowel e.g.
/ˈonːlwe/ - man -> /ˈonːlujon/ - men
/ˈenlːjo/ - a gift that is refused because of politeness -> /ˈenlːiwen/ - gifts that are refused because of politeness (not */ˈenlːjwen/)
However, there are many irregular plurals e.g.
/ˈdɔkːa̰/ - doctor -> /ˈdɔkːa̰nɔk/ - doctors (not */ˈdɔkːa̰dɔk/)
/ˈxɛunːɛi/ - bone -> /ˈonːexɛun/ - bones (not */ˈxɛunːɛixɛun/)
/ˈtɛitːo/ - test -> /ˈtetːɛusɛus/ - tests
/ˈjɛːuka̰/ - mark / grade / score -> /ˈjoːkajɛuk/ - marks / grades / scores
/ˈmalːa̰/ - thug -> /ˈmalːama/ - thugs
/ˈantːjɛu/ - wilderness -> /ˈantːjɛwa̰n/ - wildernesses