Re: Tonal inflection?

On 8/20/08, Jim Henry <jimhenry1973@...> wrote:

> > I like the idea of tones for the comparatives.  I could do that
>  > too maybe though I'm leaning toward not having adjectives and
>  > using stative verbs.
>
> Stative verbs would need to have some way of being compared,
>  too.  I don't know if languages with stative verbs and no separate
>  class of adjectives typically have morphological comparatives
>  or tend to use particles instead.
This is still just an experiment.  I think maybe I'll try the
comparative tone.  Maybe 55 for the superlative and 35 or 31 (more,
less) for comparatives.


>  > This whole thing is just an idea I'm playing with, I don't
>  > realistically expect the language to be something speakable,
>  > especially with the huge number of distinctions I'm making. I'm
>  > experimenting with the idea of economizing speech.  I figure
>  > tonal contours, roundedness and position alone will give me a
>
> Don't forget nasality and length (maybe three degrees of length
>  as in Estonian?).
Yes, I have length and nasality included too.

>  With about 15 basic vowels (not all the ones on the IPA chart, but a  subset
>  that should be comparatively easy to distinguish) times 2 for oral/nasal,
>  times 3 for length, times ... hmm... let's modestly say 5 tones, you've
>  got 450 syllable nuclei, not counting possible syllabic consonants
>  (maybe 5 nasals and 3 lateral approximants, times 3 lengths and 5
>  tones, another 120 nuclei).
I just need to decide on how many articulation points I want to use.
It will probably be at least 7. Figuring nasality, roundedness, and a
long-short distinction will give 56 possibilities, then multiply that
by the number of tonal contours which should be at least 7 (rising,
falling, high, low, medium, rising-falling, falling-rising)

>  (Could the lateral approximants be nasalized and still sound
>  distinct from regular nasal consonants in the corresponding POA?)
Good question, but while we're discussing this, it reminds me I could
also have prenasalized stops too.


Now for consonants.  I could have maybe four articulations points:
labial, alveolar, velar, and uvular.  Each will have a stops,
fricatives, implosives, clicks.   Then figure in voicing, aspiration
and palatization just for a start.   Given enough options, I could
pack a lot into a syllable.

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