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Restricted clusters?

From:Jeff Rollin <jeff.rollin@...>
Date:Tuesday, July 3, 2007, 11:52
Hi all

I have an introduction and three questions in total, if I may:

Intro: I'm creating a language that will be (phonologically speaking), a sort
of cross between Finno-Ugric and Bantu languages. The language has the
following structure:

A set of plain, aspirated, palatalised and labialised plosives, all with
prenasalised variants. (denoted by the "voiced" variant of the letter",
e.g. "nd" = prenasalised "nt"

Clusters are not allowed at the beginning of words, nor at the end, but
clusters of up to two consonants are allowed medially

1)  Is it credible to restrict the consonants that can appear in clusters to
exclude the prenasalised variants?

2) Is it credible to restrict initial syllables to those beginning with a
consonant, and have vowel-initial syllables internally?

E.g. you could have the following words:

kana (first syllable begins with consonant)

kanan (word ends and begins with consonant)

kanta (nb cluster!)

kanda (prenasalised "t")

kandya (prenasalised, palatalised "t")

nkanda (ng spelt "nk" at the beginning of words)

kaua (second syllable consists solely of vowel "a")

kat' (palatalised consonants at end of word spelt with ')

but not:

*ana  }
		(first syllable begins with vowel)
*anan }

*karnta (three-consonant cluster)

*karndya (consonant clusters with prenasalised consonants disallowed)

*nkruma (consonant cluster at the beginning of a word)

*kalt (consonant cluster at the end of a word)

-> Credible?

3) Anyone know of a conlang that has two (or more) tones and has to use
different diacritics to represent them over different letters (e.g. high and
low tone over front and back vowels?)

TIA

Jeff
--
"Please understand that there are small
European principalities devoted to debating
Tcl vs. Perl as a tourist attraction."

                            -- Cameron Laird

Replies

Jeff Rollin <jeff.rollin@...>
Dirk Elzinga <dirk.elzinga@...>