Re: Montreiano Numerals (was: Re: Judajca)

CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU writes:
>Could / do they represent an older level of M., or
>perhaps dialect variation?
>
>Does Montrei have a Language Board to keep the
>language pure?

The list i had posted previously were an older version promulgated in the
early days of the nation (1860's - early 1900's) as a way to "separate"
Montreiano from the Spanish of the AC's. It's more etymological and didn't
reflect how the numerals were really said (and much more "nationalistic"
although why the old spellings were used is beyond me, they do not appear
"Spanish" in the modern form (or even the form used then which is
essentially the same as today)). At least the inclusion of ñ before velar
consonants makes some sense, but it's redundant since /n/ converts to /N/
before them naturally (so it's not necessary to write it with ñ))

The grave accents are a pre-spelling reform used unecessarily and had
better use to show two like vowels that came together due to a loss of an
intervocalic d (the circumflex has use to show an orthographic loss of h).
Originally they two vowels were written side by side, but for esthetics,
it was decided to use the grave accent. Some words that could be mistaken
for each other either kept their old spelling (via vs vida), or were
borrowed from Spanish or Portuguese: oso (bone) vs urso (bear).

So, yes, there is a language board that clarified things and keeps the
language "pure" (Montreiano would rather borrow from Portuguese than
Spanish, but the common people generally borrow whatever is popular and
disregards " Que diçen eu consexo de las poliças lingüísticas" (what the
board of linguistic police say).

Common reforms of "Eu Consexo Lingüístico Naçonau de Montrei" were:

- from "doubled" vowels to a single vowel with a grave: naa > nà
(nothing). These vowels are always generally said longer than usual, but
this is not something that's important for distinction (as say the right
accent).

- ç for /ts/ always (the informal trend had been to use c before the front
vowels and ç in front of the back vowels). This change was to keep a more
original flavor to the language

- circumflex accent always to represent a loss of a preceeding h: hondre >
ôndre (man)

- "nationalistic" (read: radical revolutionary) spellings changed to more
phonetic: ondeç > onç

- the disuse of written final e (which had dropped out of the spoken
language within 150 years of colonization)
>
There weren't many big changes in the official orthography, but it helped
unify things where before there had been no real standard. Foreign words
are generally kept as they are internationally written, although words
with very foreign sounds are changed: "Brithenig" are written to suit the
Montreiano pronunciation: Brithenig > Briteniguéns, Ill Bethisad > Il
betisad

(hmm, what would be the closest sound in say Spanish to that Brithenig ll?)

>
>Typical Language Board Lackey!! ;)
>
I'm guilty! So shoot me! :)


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