Saalangal phonology

Hey everyone.  I have a working name for my language, which is
"Saalangal". I think I am pretty much finished with the phonolgy. I have
it here for you to look over.

Note: don't ask for translations of the example words. They are just ther=
e
for the examples sake, and they don't have any meanings (yet).

Consonants:

 There are 15 consonants in Saalangal. They are as follows:

Labials - b, m, p, w
Dentals - t, d, n, l
Palatals - s, y
Velars - k, g, ng
Glottals - h, '

        As I said in my other emails, the consonants are all taken from Tagalog
before the Spanish came (not too much difference, there's just no 'r').

Ng:

    Ng does certain things when next to certain sounds. Whenever it is
near a labial, it automatically becomes 'm', except in the case of 'm'
where it remains the same. =20

- lapang + pan =3D lapampan
- seng + bas =3D sembas
- tong + mem =3D tongmem

    When 'ng' occurs next to a dental, it becomes 'n', except when it is
next to an 'n'.=20

- lapang + lan =3D lapanlan
- seng + dem =3D sendem
- tong + tan =3D tontan
- yang + nak =3D yangnak

    Ng only shows these changes when next to labials or dentals (and the
two special cases from eash category). Otherwise it stays the same, and
there is no change.

- lapang + san =3D lapangsan
- seng + han =3D senghan
- tong + gus =3D tonggus
- bing + ha =3D bingha

Vowels:

There are just five vowels in Saalangal. They are said just as they are i=
n
Spanish.

High - i, u
Mid - e, o
low - a

    I kind of went off on my own style here. In the Tagalog alphabet, and
before the Spanish came, there were only a, i, and u. The Spanish brought
in e and o. I wanted them mostly because I like them, and it gives some
variety to the language (not to mention allowing easier transliteration o=
f
 borrowed words and names).

Diphthongs:

There are just four diphthongs in Saalangal.

High - iw
Mid - oy
Low - ay, aw

   You should note something here. The diphthongs are always written in
the Latin alphabet as iw, oy, ay, and aw. In Saalangal, when two vowels
are together, they are always voiced separately, never as a diphthong.

Stress:

    Stress plays an important role. It helps to differentiate two words
that would be homonyms. Stress can occur on either of the last two
syllables. However, diphthongs always carry the stress.

    l=E1sa - fire / las=E1' - river

    Notice where the stress lies in both words. This is important for
clarity of speech. If both were pronounced the same, there would be a lot
of misunderstanding (and comprehension would have to be through context).
The wrong stress in Saalangal makes the difference between understanding
and confusion.

    The glottal stop is also on the final stressed syllable, as in the
word for river. It is also present between two vowels, as in the name of
this language, but it is not necessary to be written down because it
naturally comes out when voicing two vowels separately (IMO).

Syllable patterns:

    The following syllables are possible. The maximum number of syllables
in a word can be as many as possible, but for root words and basic nouns,
they are up to five syllables maximum.

C - consonant
V - vowel
D - diphthong

- CVC - kak
- CV - ka
- V - a
- CD - siw
- D - aw

    The following examples are possible words in Saalangal.

- kam
- lasa
- ngatalu
- Saalangal
- tadawsumaa

=20


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'The beginning calls for courage; the end demands care'