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Re: vowel scheme for new language

From:Christophe Grandsire <christophe.grandsire@...>
Date:Thursday, May 20, 1999, 6:23
At 09:00 20/05/99 +0200, you wrote:
>dunn patrick w wrote: >>> On Wed, 19 May 1999, dunn patrick w wrote: >>> >>> > Does this sound like a plausible vowel scheme? >>> > >>> > a -- low back >>> > e -- mid front >>> > i -- high front >>> > o -- round low back >>> > u -- round mid front >>> >>> If by "plausible" you mean "likely to occur in natural >languages", >>> I would have to say no. Human languages prefer to have >'balanced' >>> vowel systems, e.g.: >> >>--snip-- >> >>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? >> >Since triangular vowel systems are quite common among conlangers, >why not work on a quadrangular vowel system instead? That is, a >system where there are just as many back vowels as front, and where >there are two low (open) vowels. In this way, you can have a rounded >vowel for every front - just like your proposed system. But unlike >your proposed system, the rounded ones would have to be back as >well, of course, to keep it naturalistic. Below are two examples: > > i u > e o > a Q >
That's exactly the system I use for Tj'a-ts'a~n (where /a/ is noted 'a and /Q/ is noted a and is rounded). I use it because Tj'a-ts'a~n has vowel harmony front unrounded<->back rounded.
> >or > > > i u > e o > E O > a Q > >[where Q represents a low back vowel] >
Unround the /Q/, add three central vowels (o-slash, oe-ligature and inverted e - I don't know the ASCII IPA for them-) and you'll have the oral vowel system of French (at least 10 to 15 years ago. Now /Q/ and /a/ have fusionned). Is French an 'exotic' language? :)
>Both of the above examples can be augmented by adding a schwa /@/ >and/or a few front rounded vowels. French is an example of a >language with a quadrangular system with a few front rounded vowels >(and some nasalized). > >Just a suggestion, >-kristian- 8-) > >
Christophe Grandsire |Sela Jemufan Atlinan C.G. "Reality is just another point of view." homepage : http://www.bde.espci.fr/homepage/Christophe.Grandsire/index.html