I'm back.

s@lav~,

I've been real busy for the past few months (and will continue to be, at=20
least I'm not so bored), so I left the list.  But I'm back, after I've ma=
de=20
some breakthroughs in my conlang work.  Here is what's going on right now=
...

Tech: Okay, so I've changed my mind.  AGAIN.  I've gone back to using Ge'=
ez=20
(Ethiopic) syllabrics for common writing, but the liturgical language of =
the=20
predominant religious institution, the autocephalous Techian Orthodox=20
Church, is a mix of Coptic and Syriac (it's a mixed rite).  So you'll see=
=20
all three scripts much of the time, along with Latin and Arabic, since=20
English, French and Arabic are minority languages.

The phonology has been changed -- and amazingly, it's been expanded.  The=
re=20
are well over three hundred consonants now, all derived from a complex=20
system of palatalization, labialization, fortis/lenis distinction, even=20
double articulations (kp, gb etc.) and clicks!  Counting length, nasality=
,=20
and pharyngealization, there are about a hundred vowels.

As of now, the language will still be based mostly on Afro-Asiatic, but w=
ith=20
a bias toward Semitic and Egyptian.  But I plan to throw in some Meroese,=
=20
since thousands of years ago in their homeland of east/northeast Africa,=20
they came in contact with both great civilizations of the Nile.  I may on=
ly=20
have a vocabulary for a while, since I'll have to do some MAJOR research =
on=20
grammar, which like the phonology will be very complex, using extensive=20
inflections, mixed nom-acc/ergative construction, free word order (which=20
tends toward VSO or SVO), polysynthesis especially with pronouns, and a h=
uge=20
vocabulary, much of which is borrowed from classical Egyptian, Semitic an=
d=20
Indo-European languages, as well as modern languages from Hindi to Englis=
h.

I've really been working on the non-linguistic data on Techia.  I might m=
ove=20
them from the south Caribbean to the Bermuda Triangle area, all depending=
 on=20
the results of some mad research.  Techians are still mostly African, but=
=20
thanks to their nomadic history and contact with many great civilizations=
,=20
they have intermixed with Semites and Indo-Aryans.  The result: a tall,=20
majestic and beautiful people with a rich history and culture, and a real=
ly=20
fun bunch to hang out with.

Big Six: I've suspended work on this attempt at a global IAL for now.  I=20
might discard it all together, or just start over with a new approach...

ConScripts: This is turning out to be my specialty, since I apparently am=
=20
most interested in phonology and writing.  Right now I'm tinkering with=20
Hangul/Korean script, trying to work out a universal phonetic alphabet,=20
which could be used in lieu of Latin letters for Big Six.  Tech writing,=20
unto itself, is an experiment on adapting Ge'ez to an extremely large=20
phonology.

Other stuff: an Elvish-Orcish language based on North Caucasian (meaning =
a=20
major league phonology that could rival Tech), a Dwarvish-Gnomish languag=
e=20
based on various Eurasian sources especially Altaic, and maybe some reall=
y=20
quirky projects, like a form of communication using the saxophone (like=20
Solresol but also using timbres as well as pitches, so it would be an=20
all-vowel, multitonal language).

Coming very soon: the Tech numerals and punctuation marks.  A preview: Te=
ch=20
has a base-twenty number system, so the traditional Coptic-Ethiopic numer=
als=20
have been re-valued to the numbers one through nineteen.  Of course, a ze=
ro=20
has been added.  (I'm using the Ge=E8zEdit font, so if there are any copy=
right=20
issues, PLEASE let me know!)

@xrIzd'ij,

Danny


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