Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ   

Re: Marking tones in conlangs

From:caeruleancentaur <caeruleancentaur@...>
Date:Wednesday, February 8, 2006, 12:56
"Joseph B." per pêca:

>I'm curious to know how others here mark tones in any tonal
conlangs >they have created.
>Thanks.
Senjecan is, if I understand correctly, a Type A tonal language. There are three levels which I call primary, secondary, and basal. A primary tone is indicated by a double acute accent, a secondary by a single acute accent, and the basal is unmarked. I chose this system because I always liked the looks of Hungarian. And I thought it would be easier to remember. On the conlang list, I use a circumflex instead of a double accent. The tones can be phonemic since only verbs, nouns, and adjectives can have a primary tone. A word with a primary tone could be a verb, while the same word with a basal tone might be a postposition, e.g., ânta = to oppose; anta = against. I have Word 2000 and all I have to do is insert the character I need with a pull-down menu. It contains combining diacritics so I can put a double accent over a, e, and i. The o and the u are already composed. I use the dotless i, but the double acute accent is off center. Nothing's perfect in this world! Charlie

Reply

wayne chevrier <wachevrier@...>