Re: Elvish ideas ...

Andræyasær isnerq:

 >I'm not yet sure what to do with nouns beginning in a vowel, liquid or
 >[w-] or [j-] - leaving those without a definite-indefinite distinction
 >strikes me as odd, but I don't really know what I want to do with them.
 >Something evil, little doubt.

Is leaving them without a marker not evil enough? ;)

Cf. spoken Swedish where forms like _station_ or _mun_
an stand both for the indefinite and the definite.
(Actually in my 'lect _station_ cannot but _mun_ can,
oddly enough...).  Also cf. Swedish agentive nouns in
_-are_ which lack a distinctive plural in spite of being
non-neuter!

 >It's a possibility. I'm not quite sure I'm attracted or appalled by the
 >implication there'd be accusative possessives like _ceaio_, involving
 >what would be a triphthong taking quite a trip in the vocalic tetragon.
 >Another possiblity is hijacking the pl accusative (_ceaino_ in this
 >case) for use a sg, and creating a new pl by strapping on yet another -
 >n. Any anadewism for that?

Not exactly, but consider the Swedish indefinite plural _ögon_, where
the _-n_ was originally the definite neuter plural ending -- Old Swedish
NSg. _øgha_, NPl. _øgho_.  This _-n_ allomorph of the definite plural
suffix was a bit extraordinary, leading to the reinterpretation of
_ögon_ as indefinite and the creation of the analogical definite form
_ögonen_.


BTW what about introducing [h] as the "fricativized" form of /s/,
with the spelling _sh_?  FWIW _sh_ = [h] occurs in Irish.

 >
 >> > The Elves we're speaking of are essentially just skinny, long-lived
 >humans
 >> > with pointy ears - they are not immortal, not in possession of any
 >> inherent
 >> > superior wisdom or anything like that. Were they to be found in our
 >world,
 >> > biologists would, little doubt, conclude they were another species
 >within
 >> the
 >> > Homo genus.
 >>
 >> Are they interfertile with humans?

 > Nope. I'm currently too bored with half-elves even to call them half-
 > humans in Elvish, so I simply biologize them away.

I like this!  Your Elves are sufficiently different from Tolkienian
Elves to not be annoying, while still similar to the "others" of
Germanic and Celtic folklore.  Well done! (I just find myself wondering
if sex between people of different species occurs...)

In my Sky-Earth conworld the Skylings and Earthlings are interfertile,
but the offspring, Blendings, are themselves normally infertile, except
for the possibility of occasional sports, which is put in for plot
purposes.  The most common (but overall still very uncommon) form of
Blending fertility is interfertility with Skylings, next comes
interfertility with Earthlings and last interfetility with other
Blendings.  Yet it should be remembered that the Blendings were never
common, and there are several thousand infertile blendings for each
fertile one.  Biologically the main difference between the species is
that Earthlings are simply normal humans as ourselves, reaching 120
years if they are lucky, while Skylings live about twelve times as long.
In Blendings the biological clock is simply messed up, so that they may
be extremely shortlived (which is however uncommon), indefinitely
longlived, or anything in-between.  Also their aging mechanism is
unpredictable: some may live young-looking and healthy for millennia,
while others show signs of aging early.  Likewise if and when senility
sets in is entirely unpredictable.  In the distant past from the time
my stories are set some Blendings managed to set themselves up as
"gods".  Out of fear of being displaced they sought to outlaw inter-
species sex, and also became otherwise dictatorial and oppressive, all
the while fighting between each other.  Eventually a barbarian -- i.e.
more untouched by the "gods'" culture -- Earthling tribe started a
rebellion.  Since the "gods" had favoritized Skylings over Earthlings
rebel violence also hit the Skylings severely.  As a result of this the
Skylings -- whose fertility rate was always much lower than the
Earthlings' -- were decimated and geographically marginalized.

 >I'm going to see some relatives tomorrow.
 >I'll be back sometime mid-next week,
 >by which time I hope to have some new material to present.
 >So stay tuned.

Well I will spend next week in total disconnexion on an
islet in the Western Sea (That would be the Skagerak, not
the Pacific :-), and have to go nomail for the while...

/BP 8^)
--
B.Philip Jonsson mailto:melrochX@melroch.se (delete X)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~__
                A h-ammen ledin i phith!                \ \
     __  ____ ____    _____________ ____ __   __ __     / /
     \ \/___ \\__ \  /___  _____/\ \\__ \\ \  \ \\ \   / /
     / /   / /  /  \    / /Melroch\ \_/ // /  / // /  / /
    / /___/ /_ / /\ \  / /Gaestan ~\_  // /__/ // /__/ /
   /_________//_/  \_\/ /Eowine __  / / \___/\_\\___/\_\
Gwaedhvenn Angeliniel\ \______/ /a/ /_h-adar Merthol naun
  ~~~~~~~~~Kuinondil~~~\________/~~\__/~~~Noolendur~~~~~~
|| Lenda lenda pellalenda pellatellenda kuivie aiya! ||
"A coincidence, as we say in Middle-Earth" (JRR Tolkien)

Reply