Re: proto-romance questions

>From: nicole perrin <nicole.eap@...>
[snip original rambling]
>
>
>I really really like the way this Romance language came out, Jennifer,
>it seems really cool.  I can't really explain why, but...How did you
>come up with the sound changes and conjugations and stuff?  Can we see
>your rules?  I always try to make up my own Romance language but it
>never sounds quite right - I'm jealous!  So, where is this language
>spoken? (Presumably near Greece, right?) And is it influenced by Greek
>in other ways besides alphabetically?  It seems really interesting.
>
>Nicole
>--
>nicole.eap@snet.net
>http://nicole.conlang.org
Thank you Nicole. But remember, this is only "so far". As to your question
of method: First I decided what general sound I wanted to end up with -
psuedo-Italian-Rumanian. Then I went to the university library (because our
high school gets us all cards) and checked out "Proto-Romance Phonology" by
Robert Hall and "The Romance Languages" by W.D. Elcock (and others, but so
far these have been the most helpful). Then I picked out changes, first the
oldest and most common, then ones customized to the sound I want.

Since you asked:
(":" = +tense)

i > e:
u > u:
a or e causes diphthongization in a preceding _stressed_ syllable as:
   e/e: > ea
   o/o: >oa
   i > ie
   u > ue
   a > ai

unstressed e > a
stressed e > e:
final o > u:
unstressed o > a
stressed o > o:

ps>s
ks>s
nkt>nt>d
nt>d
rs>z
rt>d
gC>C
t + i/e > s
d + i/e > z
k + i/e > tS
g + i/e > y
u_ > b
   except ku_ > k
tr + i/e > tS
all geminates become simple
ng>n
nd>d
mb>b
mp>b

etc. It needs tweaking, specifically which changes occur when (!) I believe
it would be spoken on the southern Balkan Adriatic coast, meaning I get to
do fun Sprachebund things, like replacing the infinitive with a relative
clause. Also, I forsee many loans --> religious terms from Greek, government
from Turkish, "everyday" from Albanian and maybe Serbo-Croat.  Maybe
something like "chevalier" > un sebaye - "thug".


Jennifer

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There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of
them is without significance. - I Cor. 14:10

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