Re: May you all...

On Fri, 8 Feb 2002 19:19:46 -0000 Jonathan Knibb
<jonathan_knibb@...> writes:
> >>>
> Steg Belsky wrote:
> > Hmm... Rokbeigalmki also uses the vowels _o_ and _i_ to represent
> > masculine and feminine [...]
> He-he... Still {o} :: {i} opposition as m :: f may be found in Gypsy
> (Rromani). [...]
> <<<
> Are we dealing with a case of 'high front vowel equals smallness,
> low back
> vowel equals largeness' (the 'itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny yellow polka
> dot bikini' phenomenon...)?
-

Not for Rokbeigalmki...
the pronouns in Rokbeigalmki (which were borrowed from ool-Nuziiferoi, my
and my brother's first conlang) work on a vowel system:

/a/ = me
/E/ = you
/i/ = her
/o/ = him
/u/ = it
/V/ = epicene/animate/genderneutral/common (/&/ in ool-N.)

These are based on the cardinal vowels of the 5-vowel system AEIOU.
They probably got arranged this way because of:
/a/ from the /aj/ of English "I", which can shorten to /a/ in "I'll" /al/
or /ajl=/.
/E/ possibly the attention-getter "eh?"
/i/ probably from English "she" and Hebrew "hi" (she)
/o/ probably from Hebrew "oto" (him) and Spanish "-o" masculine ending
/u/ i dunno, it just sounds inanimate to me
/V/ (old /&/) don't know, just another handy sound.  I changed from /&/
to /V/ because it seems like a more 'neutral', central vowel to me.


-Stephen (Steg)
 "mew hast meep get frog and a smelly sock!"