Re: CHAT: Newbie introduction

On Mon, 30 Jun 2003, [iso-8859-1] Jörg Rhiemeier wrote:

> Apollo Hogan <apollo@...> writes:
>
> > I would be delighted for any comments, criticisms, complaints, insults,
> > etc. (insults only as long as they're conlang related).
>
> I have looked at all of them, and they all look very promising.
> No matter how sketchy they are, I like them!  No need to be so humble.
> I have noticed that there are quite a few ergative languages among them.
> Your troll language, for example, sounds wonderfully "trollish", with only
> back consonants and such.
I think I am just a bit too entranced by the 'exoticness' of ergative
languages (to my poor indo-european mind).  I like the bizarre and exotic,
so I try to put something strange in each language.

> I have a question about your Oloi conlang.  What kind of people are the
> "sea-dwelling folk" that speaks it?  Are they human sea-nomads with boats,
> or some sort of amphibious race?  Is the language designed to be spoken
> underwater?  I have noticed that the language lacks obstruents.
> Is this perhaps because they don't come out well underwater
> (I don't know which sounds come out best underwater, but I assume that
> vowels work better than sonorants, which work better than obstruents)?
> I am asking this because I am also considering a (dialect of a) language
> spoken by (in my case human) sea-nomads.
The language is mean for an amphibious-type race (scales, fins, etc.)
I actually just started with a name and tried to make the language fit
the name.  I have no idea about the acoustic properties of different
sounds underwater.  Actually, that would be interesting to investigate
to construct a 'realistic' language for an underwater-dwelling people.

I'd be curious to see your language when it comes out.

--Apollo