Re: Some ideas for a completely tonal conlang

On Mon, 17 Feb 2003, Jan van Steenbergen wrote:

> Well, the most obvious question here: does this language use some kind
> of scales (like our twelve chromatic tones, or perhaps 31 or 54 or
> 1200...)?
Most definitely, yes. Although at this point I am not in a position to be
more specific than that. I doubt if it would be a normal seven-tone major
or minor scale, though. Possibly a chromatic scale, possibly a pentatonic
scale, possibly something completely alien.

> You might consider the possibility to give these aliens not only one
> culture, but a huge amount of cultures and languages, were different
> scales are used.
The idea crossed my mind, too. But I would definitely start with one
language and maybe branch off at a later stage.

> > Two immediately successive tones are never the same, yet are
> > rarely more than a fifth apart.
>
> Why not? If the speakers of this language were provided with such a
> vocal mechanism from their very birth, they should be able to achieve
> some virtuosity in it as they grow up.
Well, just because you can do something difficult in a language does not
mean that you have to do it. But basically the main reason is that I tried
to think about what different words would sound like and in my mind's ear
the words that did not vary too wildly in pitch sounded better. So it is a
completely aesthetic decision which may change later on if I discover that
it was based on incorrect assumptions.

> I hope you are not implying that there is anything un-musical in the
> tritonus.
Well, yes and no. The tritone is musical and should be used in music. Yet
the underlying reason why the tritone was "forbidden" in some historic
contexts remains, namely that it is relatively disharmonic. People who
listen to a lot of music usually learn to like disharmony to a certain
level, but for example infants (who have not yet been culturally
"brain-washed") always prefer the simplest and most harmonic chords.

So the tritone is definitely musical, but it is not the most basic aspect
of music. As a singer I can love a diminished fifth in a chord, but I can
also hate a tritone jump in my part.

> Oh, I would feel sorry if that were that case. I find your idea very
> interesting!
Well, don't hold your breath. At the present I have far too many other
projects (far too few of which involve conlanging) going to be able to
develop it. Yet I am rather fond of the idea myself, so who knows what may
become in the future.

> Of course! The most famous musical language is undoubtedly Solresol,
> devised somewhere half-way 19th century.
Right! Now that you mention it I know that I have read something about it.
Good thing I did not think of that sooner or I would perhaps never have
gone ahead and thought up my language.

  /Fredrik

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