beginnings of Prevli

Well, summer and its vagaries* are over; it's back to school, i.e.
conlanging :-)))

I'm beginning to try to formalize Prevli, the 3rd Cindu language spoken by
aboriginals on one of the Kash islands-- the Lañ-lañ [laNlaN] in Kash,
[la?laNta] natively-- a different species, similar, but only distantly
related, to the Kash. I'm deliberately aiming for a "weird" language.....

The first phonology is/was:
p,b  t,d  k,g  m n N, v r l s z y h
i e a u o
mainly CVCV(C)-- final -CVC undergo metathesis > -CCV for one word-form
(function yet to be decided), initial CVC- can also undergo metathesis > VCC
for another word-form. There is also initial-C reduplication, and a vocalic
(/-i-/?) infix.  The various clusters so produced result in a great deal of
C allophony.

In view of the allophony-- esp. involving b/v, d/r -- I'm thinking of
eliminating phonemic v and r from the inventory. Does that seem
natural/unnatural ?

Most forms are bisyllabic, and stress is on the first vowel. Then there is a
sort of V-harmony: in version 1, in CVCVC the second, unstressed V mutates,
e.g. /ú---a/ > [ú---O], /é--u/ > [é--2]; now I'm wondering if it might be
better if it's the stressed vowel that mutates-- /ú--a/ > [ó--a], /é--u/ >
['2--u] etc. etc. Again, which strikes y'all as more natural/unnatural ?
(Incidentally only /i a u/ can appear in the final syllable.) There are
different mutations in CVCV and rare CVV(C) forms...

Lots of deciding to do, and it's becoming quite a Frankenstein's
monster......

As to grammar, almost nothing yet, except it will be VSO. A while back I
posted about the subject+object pronoun forms, and those will stay. (But
what about IO??) Possibly a realis/irrealis verb system, active and passive.
(how to handle agents in that case?)  There will be alienable/inalienable
possession. A plural suffix, but no noun cases (so far).
====================
*The vagaries included 43 days of radiation treatment for prostate cancer
:-(((( though not as horrendous an experience as I'd imagined-- and all
seems well now, though I won't know for sure for a while; and a corresonding
2+ month visit from my sister, who indeed helped out a lot but kept me away
from the computer as much as she could.

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