Re: Ishtalo grammar sketch

Tommaso wrote:

>I'm no expert of Indian languages, so I didn't attempt to
>recreate one, although a few features of Ishtalo are inspired
>by actual Indian languages (the inversive voice, for example;
>or the interaction between quality predicates and argument
>marking, a trait I took from Chickasaw, together with the
>word _chokma,_ "good").  Perhaps someone among you will be
>able to tell me if Ishtalo happens to resemble an Indian
>language nonetheless...
This could pass as an Indian language. But then again, you get as much
difference between Indian languages as you do between European and Indian
languages, so that doesn't really say all that much. Case in point, to me,
Japanese looks more like Chickasaw than Zapotec does.

Portions of it remind me of Mohawk, like the "articles" that can attach to
verbs or nouns. Then theirs the Aleut and Salishan style antipassives. The
Algonquian style inverse morphology. And Papago/Pima reduplication for
plurality.

[snip lots of interesting stuff]

>That's all with it.  Many details are still missing -- for
>example, modality and embedded clauses --, but I think I've
>layed out the foundations of the language.  I'll keep
>working on Ishtalo! :-)
Very nice beginning. Keep up the work. Share more, but try to give it in
smaller chunks. I could only get away with reading the whole thing because
I don't happen to have any coursework or lectures to prepare this weekend.



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Marcus Smith
AIM:  Anaakoot
"When you lose a language, it's like
dropping a bomb on a museum."
   -- Kenneth Hale
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