Re: Root Structures

----- Original Message -----
From: Ed Heil <edheil@...>
To: Multiple recipients of list CONLANG <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Thursday, September 16, 1999 11:19 PM
Subject: Root Structures


> There are a few possible root structures for Proto-Indo-European roots
> (variations on C-C or C-C-C with a vowel thrown in somewhere, or one
> of the C's turned into a vowel).  I understand that virtually all
> Semitic roots are triconsonantal.
What's more, the theory seems to be that PIE root shad only one real vowel,
written <e>. This vowel became <o> and 0 in different types of derived
words. <I> and <u> are thought of as simply vocalic versions of <y> and <w>.
I've also heard that some people think Proto-Semitic roots had a vowel in
addition to their three consonants, e.g. CVCC.

> Do people's conlangs have well defined possible root structures?
Mine, Dhakrathat, does. Roots are predominantly CVCVC or (less commonly)
CVC. I've also been toying with the idea of a system of roots with only one
vowel, <a>. This language would probably be agglutinative, and the addition
of different affixes would change the vowels in the root:

root -ba"tar- (" is primary accent, % secondary)

ba"tara        b@"tar
%bata"ra:na    ba"tra:n (long a in -a:na causes it to be stressed)
%maba"tara     mab"tar
%mabata"ra:na  mab"tra:n
ba"tarja       b@"ter (< *b@"tajra)
ba"tarwa       b@"tor (< *b@"tawra)
%kataba"tara   katb@"tar

I think this looks like a potentially interesting system... it starts with
only one vowel but ends up with several, and it gives forms somewhat
resembling Semitic forms, but in this case there is an explanation for the
different vowels or lack of them (The thing I don't like about the Semitic
system is that I don't understand how, for example, the plural of <kita:b>
is <kutu:b>).