Re: Syllabic consonants (was: Re: Beek)

>>For even more fun, you can apply the same thing to high vowels. I.e., have
>>a word like /uma/, which when prefixed with /emi/ becomes [e.miw.ma],
>>rather than [e.mi.u.ma]. For kicks, throw some high dissimilation in
>>there, so that /emi + uma/ is actually [e.mew.ma]. Whee!
>
>I'll have to see what I can do with your recommendations.
I have considered what I can do with your recommendations.  The first thing
that I can do is to officially induct <uma> into my conlang as the verb "to
die."  (I think the stress will be on the first syllable, but I haven't
finalized my decision just yet.)

The second thing that I think I will do (because it seems more natural to
me -- and I have less trouble pronouncing the result) is, in /emi-uma/,
instead of turning the /u/ into a glide, I will turn the /i/ into one.  So
we have the form <emyuma> 'to not die' (or 'not to die' for those who will
not split their infinitives)

>What would you recommend when making the verb <mta> into a pres. act. part.
>by suffixing -eis.  There are too many vowels together in /mta-eis/.  One
>or more of them's got to go.  (BTW, the <ei> is a diphthong.)  Maybe
><mtais> would be reasonable?
I've thought of another resonable alternative.  /mta-eis/ could come out as
either <mtais> or <mtayeis> (with the <y> being a jod.)  Perhaps these two
are variations between dialects?

So with our new word, we can have <umais> or <umayeis> meaning 'dying' and
<emyumais> or <emyumayeis> meaning 'undying.'

Now, if someone will *please* double-check my semantics here...The language
has a nominalizing suffix -m such that you have the pairs of words: <tovl>
'to instruct' and <tovlm> 'instruction' and <khange> 'to know' and
<khangem> 'knowledge.'  Am I within the right semantic range if I say that
adding -m to the verb <uma> 'to die' should give a noun <umam> with the
meaning of 'death'?

Isidora
replying to her own post

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