Re: Deriving new languages from English and French

Trebor Jung wrote:
>
> Merhaba!
>
> Anyone have ideas of how I could derive a new language from English? How
> could I get a very small vocalic inventory from about 14 vowels?
How small do you want it?

One possibility is to just push vowels together.  For example, say you
wanted to get a simple 5-vowel system.  One possibility (using my
idiolect):

/i/, /I/ -> /i/ (thus, "feet" and "fit" would become homophones)
/ej/ -> /ej/
/E/ -> /e/ (alternately, of course, you could just have /ej/ and /E/
become /e/)
/&/, /A/ -> /A/
/u/, /U/ -> /u/
/ow/ -> /ow/
(/O/ -> /o/) <-- I put this in parentheses because my idiolect lacks
/O/, as before, /ow/ and /O/ could also simply merge
/@/ -> zero or /A/ (depending on position)
/aj/ -> /aj/
/aw/ -> /aw/
/Oj/ -> /oj/
/r=/ -> /@/ -> zero or /A/
/l=/ -> /u/

Another possibility:
/i/ -> /ji/
/I/ -> /i/
/Oj/ -> /wA/ (as happened in French)
/ej/, /E/ -> /je/
/aj/ -> /e/
/&/ -> /jA/
/A/ -> /A/
/u/, /U/ -> /u/
/ow/, /O/ -> /wo/
/aw/ -> /o/
/@/ -> zero or /A/

Using the second set, plus a few other changes, the pronouns:
         Sing   Pl
1st subj /e/    /wi/ (/w/ blocks palatization)
    obj  /mji/  /As/
    poss /me/   /A/
2nd subj /ju/   /jo/ (/jal/ -> /jaw/ -> /jo)
    poss /jA/   /joz/
3rd subj /dZe/* /dZenz/ (<"thems")
    obj  /dZem/ /dZenz/
    poss /dZer/ /dZenzaz/
*/Dej/ -> /dej/ -> /dje/ -> /dZe/

Of course, it's quite possible also that the subject forms would be lost
in Future English