Re: Hiatus in Artlangs

On Fri, 10 Nov 2000, LeoMoser(Acadon@Acadon.com) wrote:

>
> If we opt for two syllables, we get such initial
> combos as the following:
> Initial [dj] in: *dieto, *dieno, *dialo etc.
> Initial [sj] in: *siesto, *sievo, *siamo etc.
> Initial [kj] in: *kiano, *kiepto, *kielo etc.
> Initial [vj] in: *viato, *vieno, *violo etc.
> Initial [gj] in: *giapo, *gieno, *giosto etc.
> Initial [bj] in: *bialo, *biento, *biesto etc.
> Initial [mj] in: *mielo, *miano, *mioso etc.
> Initial [fw] in: *fuoco, *fuano, *fuero etc.
> Initial [lw] in: *luano, *luego, *luiso etc.
> Initial [pw] in: *pueblo, *puepo, *puoso etc.
> Initial [gw] in: *guano, *guero, *guido etc.
> Initial [kw] in: *kualo, *kueno, *kuoto etc.
> Initial [dw] in: *dualo, *dueno, *duito etc.
> Initial [rw] in: *ruano, *ruino, *rueso etc.
>
draqa is a language of many dipthongs, so most of these would be two
syllables: /kia. lo/, /mia. no/, /kua. lo/ ,  /fua. no/

whereas: /kja. lo/, /mja. no/, /kwa. lo/,  /Pa. no/ might also, be found,
as well as /ki. alo/, /ki? alo/, etc.

On the other hand, no draqa dipthongs end in -e, so that /di. e .to/,
/ku. e.  no/, etc. would be given, though /kwe. no/ would also be an
acceptable word. ( /dje. to/ would not )

Hiatus is found in draqa consonants - I don't know if this is natural or
not:  There are 9 consonants that often appear syllabicized, but the only
allowable consonant clusters are -l, -y , -w final or 'ks' (which must be
syllable-final). Thus a word like:

        skae  /s-. kae/
        tfliowa /tf-. lio. wa/
        xkamwa /S-. ka. mwa/
        ksaxion /ks. a. Sion/
        kxli /kS-. li/
        pfta /pf-. ta/
        sfawe /s-. fa. we/
        meehsk /me@. s-. k-/

but a word like 'plwea' is simply  /plwea/.


> What differing effects would the results have in
> an artlang? Would it be easier to sing in one
> form or another? Would poetry be easier in
> one form or another?
The rhythmicality of draqa because of the many dipthongs and because of
the consonant hiatus makes draqa pretty incompatible with Western ideals
for poetry and music, since, along with tones, the "musical" aspect is
from a Western point of view already "built-in".  This doesn't give much
room to play with words and phrases in the same ways an IE language might,
so it's been interesting to see how the natural artistic speech forms for
the language have slowly poked their heads out and made themselves known.

>
> Combinations of -oa- -eo- etc. face the danger
> that English speakers insert a semivowel, making
> such things as -owa- and -eyo-. This is, to a
> degree, another issue.
>


That's not really a big deal, though.  Even in a language like draqa
where 'oa'/'owa', 'eo'/'eyo' are distinct, there is enough of a difference
in articulation that a little gliding in the dipthong is innocuous.




a beac,
.yasmin.