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Ablaut/Gender[was Re: A Conlang by de group:

From:Mathias M. Lassailly <lassailly@...>
Date:Saturday, October 10, 1998, 23:05
/Joe Mondello wrote:
> > >I am less in favor of a gender system that in more of a few standardized > >ablaut patterns, almost as in spanish [in only one or two isolated instances > >whisch i can think of]. for example, stems following a pattern: > >in animals: > >neko- to eat > >nako- food > >niko- eater, diner > >noko-restaurant > >niako-chef [causer of eating]
Well. You mean he feeds you ? :-)
> >nuiko-eating utensils [instruments of eating]
You mean your stomach ? :-)
> >nahiko-meal
You mean the action of eating ?
> > Note: stems should end in a consonant (the -o I've been inserting > in my made-up examples is a dummy gender marker), and syllables > in a fricative, a nasal, /l/, or a vowel. > > Ablaut is certainly not a bad idea, but a bit limitating. Maybe we could > change short into double vowels, and double into two syllables: > > nako > naako > nahako (or reduplicating, nanako) > > I'm not fond of Ablaut, as you see. But of course I'll conform to > the majority's opinion. > > I'd feel better if we left Ablaut for two-syllable stems and longer, > changing the last vowel(s). For example > > benol- > benaul-, benyl-, benool- > (diphthongization, rounding, lengthening pattern) > > > --Pablo Flores >
I don't mean to show my own conlangs, but like others (I can't remember who else made such language with triliteral rooting) one of my language is exactly on this pattern with a grammar not so far from what we've discussed so far. It's difficult for me to explain the issues I found Ablaut raises. But this grammar is quite short and is designed to show in a few examples the limits I found in this Ablaut system (consonant permutation) in the past years. I had to give up and I was depressed. :-( If you're interested, read only the first paragraphs : http//members.aol.com/lassailly/newlang.html ----- See the original message at http://www.egroups.com/list/conlang/?start=17121 -- Free e-mail group hosting at http://www.eGroups.com/