Re: Gzarondan: Phonological Review

Forget everything I've written. Except for the request for comments,
of course. Is there anything un-naturalistic about this?

I've gone and made some MAJOR changes.

I hate the way that one never knows when one is finished; it can be
infuriating!

The current version is described below, and is also online at:
http://web.netyp.com/member/dragon/create/language/gzarondaa.txt
which is where future updates will be posted.

My conlang index page:
http://web.netyp.com/member/dragon/create/language/conlanging.htm

Adrian.

**********************************************************************
*********************   Vowels and Diphthongs   **********************
**********************************************************************

+------------+------------+------------+
|   Front    |  Central   |    Back    |
+------------+------------+------------+----------------+
| /I/   /E/  | /@/   /a/  | /U/   /O/  | Short Vowels   |
| /i:/  /e:/ | /8:/  /a:/ | /o:/  /O:/ | Long Vowels    |
| /aI/       |            | /aU/       | Closing Series |
| /I8/  /E8/ |            |            | Rhotic Series  |
+------------+------------+------------+----------------+

Comments:

  * /E/ is pronounced [&] after a velar or palatal consonant, except
    in an unstressed syllable that is preceded by a syllable which
    also contains /E/.

  * /a/ is not distinguished from /@/ at the end of a word, nor is /I/
    distingued from /i:/.

**********************************************************************
***************************   Consonants   ***************************
**********************************************************************

+------------------------------+------------------+----------------+
|          FRICATIVES          |      STOPS       |     OTHER      |
+------------------------------+------------------+----------------+
| Unmarked  Labialised  Voiced | Unvoiced  Voiced | Nasals  Trills |
|                              |                  |                |
| /T/       /f/         /D/    | /p/       /b/    | /m/            |
| /s/       /S/         /z/    | /t/       /d/    | /n/     /r/    |
| /x/       /x_w/              | /k/       /g/    |                |
+------------------------------+------------------+----------------+

                        +------------------------------------------+
                        |    MISCELLANEOUS CONSONANTS              |
                        +------------------------------------------+
                        | Voiced palatal approximant:          /j/ |
                        | Voiced alveolar lateral approximant: /l/ |
                        | Unvoiced alveolar lateral fricative: /K/ |
                        +------------------------------------------+

Comments:

  * Although the category of labialised fricatives cannot be taken
    literally in the modern phonology, it does have a historical
    basis.

  * /r/ is ordinarily [r] (aveolar trill) but after /n/ it is [r\`]
    (retroflex approximant). Note that this can only occur at a word
    boundary.

  * Before a rounded vowel or /@/, the only distinction between /x/
    and /x_w/ is often the presence of a gliding [w] after the
    latter. The syllables /x_w@l/ and /x_wUl/ have no auditory
    distinction.

  * /l/ is velarised (i.e. articulated as [5]) at the end of a
    syllable and when preceded but not followed by a vowel or
    diphthong.

  * /@l/ is usually articulated as [5=] except after /l/ or at the
    beginning of a word.

  * When preceded by /l/ and followed by either /l/ or an unstressed
    syllable containing /l/, alveolar stops undergo the following
    changes: /d/ is not articulated at all (except to say that the
    preceding /l/ is not velarised if it otherwise would be) while /t/
    is articulated as [K].

  * /t/ is articulated as [?] before /K/ or /l@/.

**********************************************************************
***********************   Syllable Structure   ***********************
**********************************************************************

Syllables are essentially CVC, bearing in mind that the consonant
sections may be empty, and that other possible values for the sections
are detailed below.

Syllable-Initial Section:

  * All consonants are permitted at the syllable-initial section, as
    are the following structures:

    +------------+------------+----------+------------+
    | L-Series   | R-Series   | S-Series | Affricates |
    +------------+------------+----------+------------+
    | /pl/  /bl/ | /pr/  /br/ | /sp/     |            |
    |            | /tr/  /dr/ | /st/     | /ts/       |
    | /kl/  /gl/ | /kr/  /gr/ | /sk/     | /gz/       |
    | /fl/  /Tl/ | /fr/  /Tr/ | /sf/     |            |
    | /sl/  /Sl/ |            |          |            |
    +------------+------------+----------+------------+

Syllable-Internal Section:

   * The inside of a syllable may contain any vowel or diphthong, or
     else one of the following (known as the Lateral Series):
     /Il/ /El/ /8:l/ /al/ /Ol/.

Syllable-Final Section:

  * The following consonants cannot occur at the syllable-final
    section: voiced fricatives, trills, non-lateral approximants, /K/
    and /x_w/. All other consonants are permitted.

  * The following structures can occur: /mp/, /nt/, /nd/.