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Update for Jovian

From:Christian Thalmann <cinga@...>
Date:Tuesday, August 13, 2002, 0:24
Einstein's Theory of Relativity basically hinges upon a single simple
assumption (namely that vacuum light speed is equally large in all
frames of reference) that has radical and fundamental consequences for
the whole edifice of physics.

Similarly, I have made a single simple change in the phonology of
Jovian (namely that final -u should be pronounced as /@/ rather than
/U/), which has led me to add more mutations and a set of optional articles.

The problem was that feminine and masculine nouns of the same stem
(e.g. |fiju| and |fija| from Latin filius, filia) sounded
indistinguishable (/"fi:j@/).  So I decided that the ending -u, being
derived from Latin -us, should not cause lenition like other final
vowels.  What is more, the Latin s actually becomes audible when a
consonant follows.

Example:

fija /"fi:j@/ "daughter"
fija bella /"fi:j@"vell@/ "beautiful daughter"
tua fija aumbrosa /"tu:@"vi:jom"bro:z@/ "love-smitten daughter"

fiju /"fi:j@/ "son"
fiju bellu /"fi:j@"bell@/ "beautiful son"
tuu fiju aumbrosu /"tu:@"fi:j@zom"bro:z@/ "love-smitten son"

In case you're wondering, aumbrosu < aomrosus < amorosus.


The new sketch of Jovian is available at the following address:

    http://catharsis.netpeople.ch/langmaking/jovian_speculative.htm

For comparison, the older version is still online under

    http://catharsis.netpeople.ch/langmaking/jovian.htm


Comments?


-- Christian Thalmann