Feedback welcome: Ënlësh

I'd like to introduce my very new project, Ënlësh, /n=l@S/. It's supposed to
be a simplification of English, both phonologically and grammatically. I
apply sound changes to words - simplifying consonant clusters, simplifying
the vowel system - but amn't having so much luck with the grammar. I've
thrown out articles, tenses, and plurals but as you'll notice in the Babel
text translation below, not much else has happened in that department. The
text sample is actually a demonstration of sound changes I guess, and just a
first draft...

All feedback is welcome, especially suggestions for grammatical change :)

Cheers,

T





Phonology

Consonants: p, b, m, w, f, v, t, d, n, s, z, r (/r\/), l, ts, dz, sh (/S/),
ch (/tS)/), j (/dZ)/), y (/j/), c (/k/), g, h
Vowels: i, e, ë (/@/), u, a (/A/)
Diphthongs: aë /A@)/, eë /e@)/, eu /eu)/, ëu /@u)/

ë before m, n, l, and r makes them syllabic.

The Babel Text: Beëbël Tek

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
[n&U) D@ h@U)l wr\=ld h&d wVn l&Ngu@dZ) &nd @ kAmn= spitS)]
Neu hëul wël ez wan lenwëj en camën pic.

As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
[&z mEn muvd istwr\=d DEI f&U)nd @ plEIn In Sinar\ &nd sE4L\=d ZEr\=]
Ez men tevël iswërd zeë faën peën ën Shinar en sedël zer.

They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly."
They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
[DEI sEd tu itS) VDr\= kVm lEts mEIk br\Iks &nd bEIk DEm Tr\=l=i DEI juzd
br\Ik InstEd @v st@U)n &nd tAr\ f@U)r\ m@U)r\tr\=]
Zeë seë tu ichazër, "Cam, letas meëk bëk en beëk këmpit." Zeë uz bëk ëntsed
ëv sëun en tar fëur mëurtër.

Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that
reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be
scattered over the face of the whole earth."
[DEn DEI sEd kVm lEt Vs bIld Ar\sElvz @ sI4i wID @ t&U)r\= D&t r\itS)@z t@
D@ hEvn=z s@U) D&t wi mEI mEIk @ nEIm f@U)r\ Ar\sElvz &nd nAt bi sk&4r\=d
@U)vr\= D@ fEIs @v D@ h@U)l r\=T]
Zen zeë seë, "Cam, letas bël sëdi-teur zet rich tu hevën fëur wisel sëu zet
wi meë meë' neëm fëur wisel en nat ëz cedër ëuvër feës ëv hëul ërs."

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were
building.
[bVt D@ L@U)r\d kEIm d&U)n t@ si D@ sI4i &nd D@ t@U)r\= D&t D@ mEn wr\=
bIldINg]
Bat Lëur cam deun si sëdi-teur zet men bël.

The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun
to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
[D@ L@U)r\d sEd If &z wVn pipl= spikINg D@ sEIm l&Ngw@dZ) DEI h&v b@gVn t@
du DIs DEn nVTINg DEI pl_0&n t@ du wIL\ bi ImpAs@bl= f@U)r\ DEm]
Lëur seë, "Ëf ez wan pipël zet pik seëm lenwëj zeë ez gën du zës, zen nasën
zeë pen du wël ëmpasëbël.

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand
each other."
[kVm lEt Vs g@U) d&U)n &nd kn=fjuz DEr\ l&NgwëdZ) s@U) DEI wI5 nAt
Vndr\=st&nd itS) VDr\=]
Cam, letas gëu deun en cënfuz ze lenwëj sëu ze wël nat andërsen ichazr."

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped
building the city.
[s@U) D@ l@U)r\d sk&4r\=d DEm fr\Vm DEr\ @U)vr\= Al D@ r\=T &nd DEI stApd
bIldINg D@ sI4i]
Sëu Lëur cetër zem ëuvër ërs, en ze sap bël sëdi.

That is why it was called Babel -- because there the Lord confused the
language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the
face of the whole earth.
[D&t Iz wAI It wVz kAL\d bEIbl= b@kVz DEr\ D@ l@U)r\d kn=fjuzd D@ l&Ngw@dZ)
@v D@ h@U)l wr\=ld frVm DEr\ D@ l@U)r\d sk&4r\d DEm @U)vr\= D@ fEIs @v D@
h@U)l r\=T]
Zat rizën ët ëz cal Beëbël -- caz zer Lëur cënfuz lenwëj ëv zë hëul wël.
Lëur cetër zem ëuvër feës ëv zë hëul ërs.

Reply