Re: yet another new lang sketch (sorry)

-------------------------------------------------
             edheil@postmark.net
-------------------------------------------------

Daniel A. Wier wrote:

> You know, I'm still trying to get Greek accent rules all figured out.  I
> mean, when do you put an acute on a long penultimate vowel and when do you
> put a circumflex, that sorta thing.
>
OK.  For Greek nouns, the accent tends to be fixed.  For verbs, it tends to
be movable, and recedes as far from the end of the word as the rules permit.

The rules are:

Acute on the last syllable turns into a grave if the word is followed by
another word.  (Which probably means "this is where the accent would be if
there was one, but there isn't," i.e. "acute accent on the last syllable is
only realized if the word comes last in the sentence.")

Acutes can fall on long vowels, short vowels, or diphthongs, on the ultima,
penult, or antepenult.   It falls on the penult when the ultima vowel is long
and on the antepenult when the ultima vowel is short.  Acute probably
represents a high tone on a short vowel, and a rising tone on a long vowel.

Circumflex can appear only on long syllables.  It will appear on a penult if
its vowel is short and the ultima's vowel is short.

I *think* this is a correct summary of those rules:

     /
a. (either) (either) (short)
              /
b. (either) (either) (long)

                       /   <--becomes grave if an accented word
c. (either) (either) (either)      follows
              /
d. (either) (either)
     /
e. (either) (long)
              /\
f. (either) (long)  <--usually as the result of a contraction from
                       pattern b above.
     /\
g. (long) (short)
     /
h. (either)
     /\
i. (long)  <-- usually as the result of a contraction from
                 pattern e above.

Ed