JOEL MATTHEW PEARSON wrote:
>On Wed, 19 May 1999, dunn patrick w wrote:
>
>> Well, that looks like a general consensus of "no way". Hrmm. I
noticed a
>> tendency of it to run away from me anyway. That damned /i/
insisted on
>> showing up.
>>
>> > Or: i u
>> > e o
>> > a
>>
>> What's a pity is I like this vowel scheme. Always have. But I'd
*hate*
>> to use it since it's so damned common. Conlang guilt, you know?
>
>For my conlang Tokana, I assuaged my guilt by adding a sixth,
central
>vowel to the mix, giving:
>
> i u
> E @ O
> a
>
>This system is much less common - although by no means
unprecedented
>(Romanian has it).
I assuaged my own guilt by copying the vowel system of my mother's
mother-tongue, Ilocano (which is spoken in the northern part of
Luzon island in the Philippines). This is:
i u
@
a
This system is also much less common, but like I hinted, it
nevertheless exists. Many Austronesian languages have this system
(Proto-Austronesian had it). I have also heard that there are quite
a few Amerindian languages with such a system (I dunno which).
-kristian- 8-)