Re: New Conlang

Hallo!

# 1 wrote:

> Last night, I tought of a new conlang.
>
> It would be ergative-absolutive, but that's not what's special
>
> All the nouns (an pronouns) are made of a root of vowels "-(V)(V)V-V(V)(V)-"
> made of two groups of mono/di/triphtongs that can take affixes. The preffix
> would indicate number and definiteness, the infix indicates the case.
>
> When the case is absolutive, the infix is the verb, made of one or more
> consonants. Its time is indicated by a suffix.
This looks very, very, very much unlike any natlang I have seen or
heard of - but it is an interesting idea.

> To be able to make a lot of verbs with only consonants, there are 36
> consonants that can be used as verbal infixes. When adding the permitted
> groups of two consonnants, it makes 134 possibilities of verbs. It would
> make more if I counted the groups of three consonants or the groups in which
> there would have syllabics.
>
> The consonants are:
>
> (/-/ = |-|)
> p = p
> b = b
> t = t
> d = d
> k = k
> g = g
> p\ = fh
> B = vh
> f = f
> v = v
A bilabial/labiodental contrast in fricatives - unusual, but why not?!

> s = s
> z = z
> S = sh
> Z = zh
> x = kh
> G = gh
> h = h
> T = th
> t_N = tl
> d_N = dl
> s_N = sl
> z_N = zl
> l = l
> l_N = ll
Ahh, linguolabials!  Sweet!

> K = thh
> L\_o_r = khh (unvoiced lateral velar fricative)
> m = m
> n =n
> n_N = nl
> N = gn (ng is for /Ng/)
> B\ = cc
|cc| for a bilabial trill is, well, hardcore ;-)

> r = rr
> R\ = xx
> B\_o = c (billabial flap)
Ah, a bilabial flap!  I am planning to have it in one of my
conlangs as well!

> 4 = r
> R\_o = x (uvular flap)
>
> These are the consonants that will mean a verb infixed in a noun, there can
> also have groups of consonants that are usually regular except a few:
>
> /s/+/l/ = s'l
> /z/+/l/ = z'l
> /s_N/+/l_N/ = sll
> /z_N/+/l_N/ = zll
> /t_N/+/s_N/ = tsl
> /d_N/+/z_N/ = dzl
> /n_N/+/t_N/ = ntl
> /n_N/+/d_N/ = ndl
> /N/+/k/ = nk
> /N/+/g/ = ng
>
> There are also two consonants that do not mean verbs
>
> /?/ = q
> That marks the ergative
>
> /w/ = /w/
> That has other uses but that can't mean a verb
>
> The vowels are:
>
> (/-/ = |-|)
> i = i
> e = e
> a = a
> y = y
> 2 = ö (o¨)
> 1 = î (i^)
Why not |ï|?

> u = u
> o = o
> @ = ë (e¨)
>
> The diphtongs are: /i@/, /ei/, /ai/, /2y/, /iu/, /eu/, /au/, /oi/, /ui/, and
> /ou/
> The triphtongs are: /ai@/, /ei@/, /ui@/, /oi@/, /iu@/, and /aui/ (in which
> the principal is the /a/)
>
> So it makes 25 possibilities, two times in the roots, so 625.
>
> Examples:
>
> Absolutive 1st person singular pronoun = i-e
> Absolutive 2nd person singular pronoun = o-o
> Ergative 1st person singular pronoun = wi
> Ergative 2nd person singular pronoun = wo
> (pronouns are the only words that do not use the absolutive root with -q-
> infix to form the ergative)
>
> man = u-o
> woman = au-i
> dog = ai-ië
>
> to sleep = -p-
> to eat = -v-
> to love = -ll-
>
> I sleep = ipe
> you sleep = opo
>
> I eat you = wi ovo
> you eat me = wo ipe
>
> I love you = wi ollo
>
> The nouns take a prefix to indicate definiteness and number
>
> vhuqo qaulli = This man loves a woman
> vh- = demonstrative singular
> q- = indefinite singular
>
> mauqi shullo = All the women love these two men
> m- = definite collective
> sh- demonstrative dual
>
> Genitive is marked like ergative but placed after its noun that is marked
> definite
>
> vhuqo baulli wi = This man loves my woman
> b- = definite singular
>
> baipië vhuqo = This man's dog sleeps
>
> baiqië bauqi wi baillië wo = My woman's dog loves your dog
>
> The tense is marked with a suffix on the absolutive noun that carries the
> verb and the voice by another suffix
>
> I still have to think about the moods and a lot of things but I think that
> this is promising
>
> Comments? Remarks?
Grossly unnatural and freakish, but - funky!

Greetings,

Jörg.

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