CHAT: First report on Coní (was: Re: CHAT: Bouncing)

Tony Hogard wrote:

> I am quite bouncy.  I'm on the shorter side for where I live (5'7")
> and I've always been thin (IQ higher than body weight), though I
> seem to be getting thicker every year.
Haha! I didn't realize! My IQ (Stanford-Binet) and my body weight
(in pounds) is exactly the same! I wonder what would happen
if I gained some weight...? :D

ObConlang: Me and Jessica have been working on her language Coní.
Or rather, I've made some suggestions. It's her conlang. The
phonology revision is largely done by now. I must say I like it.
The consonants are set, it's the vowels that aren't really finished
yet. I might have a question for y'all on Jessi's behalf.

As of now, I can give you a teaser. There are six vowels:

/I E a O U 8/

There's a rule which says that when a vowel is stressed, it
becomes tense: /i e a o u }/. Originally, both me and Jessi had this mixed up with
length, but as it turns out, it's really
a tense/lax distinction.

The problem is /8/. She hasn't decided yet on whether this is
just a schwa (although rounded and a bit higher) and thus has
no tense version, or if it is a vowel in its own respect, as
much as all the other vowels.

/8/ is written |û| as of now (u + circumflex). If this vowel
can be prepalatalized (like the other vowels) we have a problem.
Prepalatalization is marked by diaresis: |ä| is /ja/. Irregular
stress is marked by an acute accent (as in the language name:
Coní). How do you combine diaresis and/or acute accent with a
circumflex?

Another idea was to use |w| for /8/, but the problems remain.

Ideas?

Daniel Andreasson

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