Re: Q (Caucasian Elf)

Danny Wier sikayal:

> [snip conculture stuff]
>
> Now on to the language.  I posted some of this a long time ago, but I'll
> redo it since I'm finally putting up a page now.
>
> All I have right now is a phonology, a list of roots (which I borrowed from
> Starostin's North Caucasian database), and one typological item: the
> suffixal nature of the verb, which begins with a vowel instead of a
> consonant.
>
> First, the phonology.  I have to explain some of the consonants, and there
> are many.
I'll say.  That's the largest consonant phonology I've ever seen, altho
I've never studied an actual Caucasian language.  Perhaps those can be
even larger.  I don't find the system personally appealing, as I prefer
minimal phonologies, for the most part, but I admire that it's consistent.
BTW, why are all of these sounds considered different phonemes?  Why
doesn't anyone ever suggest that /tw/ is actually just /t/ + /w/, or that
/t`/ is /t/ + /?/.  (I say 'anyone,' because I'm assuming that you're just
following normal practice for linguists.)

>
> CONSONANTS (I'm using modified Kirschenbaum here)
>
> Labials: p b p` f f~ v m w
> Dentals: t d t` tw dw t`w r D n (T T~)
> Alveolar: ts dz ts` s z tsw dzw ts`w sw ts~ ts~w dz` dz~w ts~` ts~`w s~ s~w
> Retroflex: ts. dz. ts.` s. z. ts.w dz.w ts.`w s.w ts.~ ts.~w dz.~ dz.~w
> Palatal: c J c` C j cw Jw c`w sw zw c~ c~w J~ c~` c~`w C~ j~
> Lateral: tl> dl tl` hl l3 l tlw dlw tl`w slw tl~ tl~w dl~ dl~w tl~` tl~`w
> hl~ hl~w (L)
> Velar: k k` g x kw gw k`w x`w k~ k~w g~ g~w k~` k~`w x~ x~w (Q)
> Uvular: q G q` X g" qw Gw q`w Xw g"w q~ q~w G~ G~w q~` q~`w X~ X~w
> Laryngeals: ? h H ?- h- H- ?w hw Hw ?-w h-w H-w
>
> Note the number of glottalized (ejective), pharyngealized ("emphatic") and
> labialized (-w) consonants, producing six  stops/affricates and four
> fricatives for each class.  This is reflected in the six "laryngeals" (not
> counting labialized), which are in order: glottal stop, voiceless glottal
> fricative, voiced glottal fricative, voiceless pharyngeal ejective,
> voiceless pharyngeal fricative, voiced pharyngeal fricative.  Phonemes in
> parentheses are rare local variants.
Are these local variants allophones of other sounds?  Or phonemes that
aren't distinctive in the mainstream dialect?

> Many sequences of nasal/liquid before stop/affricate, nasal/liquid before
> and after laryngeal, and nasal/liquid before nasal/liquid are legal.
> Biconsonant sequences cannot occur word-initially, nor can groups of three
> or more consecutive consonants.
>
> VOWELS (again, modified Kirschenbaum)
>
> High: i i: y y: i- i-: u u:
> Mid: e e: @ @: o o: (% %:)
> Low: & &: a a:
>
> Before or after labialized consonants (-w above), certain allophones of
> these vowels may occur, varying greatly according to local speech.
Do you know what these allophones are, for any dialect?

> All of these vowels may occur in the first syllable of a word root; in final
> position, only these short vowels: i i- u e @ o a.
>
> TONES
>
> Word roots are always stressed on the initial syllable, and tone only
> affects stressed syllables.    The four tone contours are 1) flat, 2)
> rising, 3) falling-rising and 4) falling.  (A lot like Mandarin Chinese in
> fact.)  Tone 3 only occurs with long vowels; tone 4 with short.
Ahh, tone.  The bane of my existence.  Although I admire your language for
its expansiveness, I would probably find it impronounceable and not very
aesthetic.  But to each his own.

> MISCELLANEOUS
>
> All I know about Q grammar is that the verb is bound to its object as a
> suffix.  Noun roots are CVCV and CVCCV; verbs on the other hand are VCV or
> VCCV.  Particles in CV are used for pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions and
> such.  Sandhi shifts result from where two vowels fall together in a noun +
> verb conjunct (CVCV=VCV > CVCVCV).  Word order is either going to be SOV or
> OVS; adjectives follow nouns because technically they are verbs.
OVS word order would be very interesting, if only because it's so
extremely rare.  I'll be interested to see more of the grammar.

> Soon -- I hope -- a page on the Elves will go up on my webpage; I'll keep
> you posted.
>
> http://www.geocities.com/dawier
>
>
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Jesse S. Bangs jaspax@u.washington.edu
"It is of the new things that men tire--of fashions and proposals and
improvements and change.  It is the old things that startle and
intoxicate.  It is the old things that are young."
-G.K. Chesterton _The Napoleon of Notting Hill_
Conlanger code: CLI> l%p+++ cS:R:N:H a++ y n18d:6 X+++ A-- E-- L-- N2.5
Idmp k++ ia-- p+ m++ o+++ P d++ b++ Yivríndil

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