Re: my conlang

Mario Bonassin wrote:

> ERG   -i    -u      -sanutu
> ABS   -0 (null)     -sanut
> DAT   -e    -o      -sanuto    -(given, fed, etc.) to the dog
> LOC   -A    -a      -sanuta    -(in, on, etc.) the dog
> ABL   -Im   -Un     -sanutUn   -(something is done) by the dog
> GEN   -Iz   -Us     -sanutUs   - the dog's (something)
>
> * THE PRONOUNS *
>
>    SG    PL
> 1  zel   zul
> 2  tes   tus
> 3  lem   lum
>
> PERSON AGREEMENT (always with the ABS)
>
>    SG               PL
> 1  za-              zu-
> 2  ta-              tu-
> 3  le-              lo-
It is interesting to see how plural is associatied with
back vowels and singular with front vowels. Is this
something that you've thought about or just a coincidence?

It reminds me of a recent seminar at uni on sound symbolism
in Kammu (spoken in northern Laos). It has series of vowels
(and reduplication) going from small to big. They can be
applied to just about anything. Example:

teen-teen   small light
tVVn-tVVn   small fire  {V} is [V]
tOOn-tOOn   a bit bigger fire  {O} is [O]
tIIn-tIIn   big fire  {I} is barred i

The man who had been doing research on this had found a pattern
where vowels with low F1 and F2 (1st and 2nd formant) represented
big things and those with high F1 and F2 small things. If you
draw a diagram with F1 on the x-axis and F2 on the y-axis you
end up with something that looks like the vowel triangle. (If
you turn it upside down). If you then go from the top right
corner diagonally to the lower left corner, you go from [u] to
[E] and [&], exactly the order of the big - small scale. Fixed
width, please.

F2 < ----------------
       i     I    u |
                    |
            @   o   |
        e           |
             V  O   |
          E         |
              a     |
                    F1

Interestingly enough, this explained why [i] wasn't at the end
of the scale (smallest) but rather somewhere in the middle.

The scale went (approximately) (the vowels have their phonetic
value):

u I o @ i O a V e E

In Kammu, plural was associated with the prefix rng?- which
could be used for both NPs and VPs.

Well, I feel I'm a bit off by now, but I thought it was quite
interesting.

daniel

--
<> "Lea eica waenaidh mae bwochath waenë,   <>
<>  ja jordhëchaidh mae gothëje jordhëchë." <>
<>       www.geocities.com/conlangus        <>
<>       daniel.andreasson@telia.com        <>

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