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Re: Hive English Orthography

From:Jeffrey Jones <jsjonesmiami@...>
Date:Monday, May 9, 2005, 20:06
On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 15:27:54 -0000, Joseph Bridwell <zhosh@...>
wrote:

>Let's see if this post makes it to the list. A long one from >yesterday seems never to have appeared. > >> Inspired by a couple of the Norwescon panels, I came up with yet >> another conlang idea. > >Ditto. > >> syllable structure is strictly (C)V (but maybe word-final (C)VC). >> >> Consonants: >> * Voiced: b, d, g, m, n >> * Voiceless: p, t, k, q (= [?]), h >> >> Probably, p, t, k are aspirated. They are also the consonants that >> could occur word-final. >> >> Vowels: >> v [v] [f] >> z [z_m] [s_m] >> s [z_a] [s_a] >> r [z`] [s`] >> i [j\] [C] >> u [G_w] [x_w] >> x [R] [X] >> l [l] [K] > >:: snip :: > >> Comments? > >Very interesting. What's the syntax of this language?
I haven't decided on a particular type of syntax yet. I'm still trying to figure out what distinctions are important (maybe hive, anti-hive, neutral, pro-hive-but-not-"synchronized") and how these affect person and number. Plus I've been sidetracked by yet another conlang project.
>Inspired by the same panels, I revived and reworked Gremegr - a >conlang that I'd left untouched for a while. I argued with myself >again over creating "inhuman" sounds and whether I was limiting >myself by assuming hive=insect. So, in the end, I chose: >/p/ [p] >/t/ [t] >/k/ [k] >/b/ [b] >/d/ [d] >/g/ [g] >/m/ [m] >/n/ [n] >/gn/ [N] >/br/ [B\] >/r/ [r] >/gr/ [r_G] >/f/ [p\] >/s/ [S] >/x/ [x] >/v/ [B] >/z/ [Z] >/y/ [G] >/w/ [v\] >/rw/ [r\] >/gw/ [M\] >/l/ [K] >/7/ [?] >/i/ [i] >/e/ [e] >/a/ [a]
Some nice trills, there.
>Bilabials, used as affixes, refer to group levels; alveolars to >castes; velars to the hive. Unvoiced plosives refer to activities >for tending the hive; voiced plosives for changes; nasals for >protecting the hive; trills for movement; unvoiced fricatives for >fruiting; voiced fricatives for seedings; approximants for planning.
I don't have any morphemes or assignment schemes like that, although I'm thinking about using |ms| and |mr| to mark physically feminine and masculine.
>/l/ refers to "not hive", /7/ is null (no specified reference).
I like your use of [K] for "not hive"! Was that usage influenced by LAadan |lh|?
>Roots are VCV. Words reflect the agent of the action plus the nature >of the beneficiary of the action. > >Sentences/phrases are strictly: ><action><place><time><beneficiary><object><agent> > >Example: >tamat ga7ig gwasa7 zele7 kini7 7ad. > >tamat = for-caste-feeds-caste >ga7ig (gaggig) = here always >gwasa7 = for-hive-continuing = brood >zele7 = for-caste-seed (implies seed appropriate for caste level) >kini7 = for-hive-tending >7ad = (marks end of statement) > >Nurse-caste feeds here always to-brood caste-seed.
Jeff