Re: Elvish ideas ...

Quoting BP Jonsson <bpj@...>:

> Isnerq Andraeyas:
That's pronounced how?

[snip]
> I have a small question regarding your phonology:
> would a stop or fricative **following** a front vowel get
> palatalized, e.g. would a form like _chreaich_ be pro-
> nounced as [xrjaS]?
No, that's [xrjajx].

> >And I _really_ must conjure up a name for this project.
>
> What do the people call themselves?  What would
> "our language" translate as?
Seeing my predilection for naming conlangs after their speaker's self-
designation, had I known what they call themselves I'd probably not be having
this trouble. Their political structure, a kind of alliance of semi-
independent and not always directly neighbouring quasi-feudal mini-
principatilities, can be refered to simply as _Chamant_, which word I can't
think of an adequate English translation of. It's the definite pl of _camath_,
which denotes the group of people owning allegiance to a lord (_can_) or lady
(_cea_)*. But I don't want the language to be known as "speech of Chamant",
since a) I imagine the language to've been around than this political entity,
and b) because it would be to reminicent of _Kalini Sapak_ "Language of the
Clans".

"Our language" is tricky - I've not gotten to the pronouns yet! Possibly
_Medhean_ "Our words", being pl of _dea_ "word", with a tentative 1st pl
element _me-_ causing fricativization. Hm, but I certainly don't like the
spelling - looks like "medean". Being the whimsical sort of guy I am, I think
I'll change _dea_ to _gea_ (still [dZa]), which gives _Meghean_. I rather like
the sound of [me'Zan] too - better than [me'Djan]. And it even looks like an
English language-name too. I think I shall take to refering to the language
as "Meghean" - should the pronominal system turn out too differently, I'm sure
I'll be able to concoct some adstrate language for the sole purpose of
explaning this name. Or I'll simply change it into something irrecognizable.

* Boringly enough, these Elves appear basically immune to sexism. Thank
heavens they're not into egalitarian political systems.

                                                         Andreas

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