Re: A "minimalist" phonology...

Henrik Theiling wrote:
> Ah, I like that a lot.  The language must sound very interesting.
> I assume the language is pronounced /ad1g@/ then?
I would guess that the vowels have front and back allophones.

> Is phonemic vowel length independent from the number of basic vowels
> or is it generally required that there be a certain amount of vowels
> before this distinction is used?
AFAIK, it's generally independent, altho more common in systems with
small numbers of vowel phonemes.  For instance, Classical Arabic has
just three vowels /i a u/ with length, which is fairly common, but there
aren't as many with many vowels plus length.  Probably because quantity
differences can often become quality differences (as with Classical
Latin's 5 vowels plus length becoming Vulgar Latin's 7-vowel system).
Also, presumably there'd be fewer minimal pairs based on length in a
10-vowel system than a 3-vowel system, so mergers are more likely.

--
Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon
A nation without a language is a nation without a heart - Welsh proverb
ICQ: 18656696
AIM Screen-Name: NikTaylor42

Reply