<jerEthkam>

Solra · by Solra on Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:57 pm

WARNING: This page contains extensive use of standard X-SAMPA marking and linguistic terms. If you cannot read X-SAMPA or understand the linguistic terms in use here, beware brain aneurysms! It's hard enough to record this in X-SAMPA and liguistic term without adjusting my notes to layman's terms!

Copy-pasted from notes, so appearance is not perfect, but still distinguishable.

Code:: PHONOLOGY --------- Phoneme Inventory: /b_l t` d` t`_l c J\ k g/ /m n` J; N/ /B_l D D_j D_l s\ s` z` C( j\( R/ /tS dZ tS_l dZ_l cC( J\j\(/ /B_o r\` l` j;/ /i E a I( @ U M V/ <b t d tL kh gh k g> <m n mh nh> <bh th thY thL x s z sh zh q> <c j cL jL khSH ghZH> <w r l y> <E e a I i u U o> Digraphs: /t` d` m n` s` z`/ -> /t`_j d`_j m_j n`_j s`_j z`_j/ | _ <y> /k g/ -> /k_l g_l/ | _ <l> /s` z` C( j\( r\` l`/ -> /s`_k z`_k C(_k j\(_k r\`_k l`_k/ | <r> _ /b_l/ -> /bB_l/ | _ <bh> /s\/ -> /z\/ | _ <z`> Allophones: /t`_l k g k_l g_l J; N/ -> /d`_l K G\ K_l G\_l J N\/ | _ [vowel] /D D_j D_l C( j\(/ -> /T T_j T_l C; j\;/ | [vowel] _ /@/ -> /3;/ | _/E/ _/a/ /E/ -> /3;/ | _/a/ /I(/ -> /3;/ | _/E/ /V] > /A;/ | _/@/ /a] > /A;/ | _/V/ /r\` R/ -> /r R\/ | Western Settlements dialect /R A;/ -> /?\ 6;/ | Eastern Settlements dialect Phonotactics: Syllable structure: (C)(C)CV(V)(C)(C) C(C) for syllabic consonants Onset restriction: Stop - Fricate - Approximate - Approximate - Liquid - Approximate Affricate - Approximate Fricate - Sibilant - Approximate - Approximate Sibilant - Stop - Approximate - Liquid - Affricate - Approximate - Fricate - Approxaimate - Nasal - Approximate - Liquid - Approximate Nasal - Approximate Approximate Liquid - Approximate Coda/Syllabic consonant restrication: Stop - Fricate - Sibilant Affricate Fricate - Stop - Sibilant Sibilant - Stop - Affricate - Fricate Nasal - Sibilant Approximate - Stop - Affricate - Fricate - Sibilant - Nasal Liquid - Stop - Affricate - Fricate - Sibilant - Nasal Nucleus Restrication (excluding diphthongs above, which obviously can occur): i + @ E + I( + @ a + @ + I( + U I( + @ @ + U + i U + @ M V + I Word-final consonants are unvoiced or devoiced. Internal Sandhi: <r> is silent in syllable-initial position. Voiced obstruents in syllable-final position become unvoiced. Where a single sonorant appears between vowels, it is pronounced in both syllables. <darU> /d`ar\`.r\`M/ No same manner-of-articulation can occur between syllables, except in the above rule. Where a voiced consonant is found between two unvoiced consonants, it becomes unvoiced. External Sandhi: Where a vowel-final and vowel-initial word meet, add /r\`_X/ to the beginning of the second word, unless the fist consonant of the second word is /r\`/ or the second word is a proper noun, in which cases, add /l`_X/ to the end of the first word. <tensa Erd> /t`En`.s`a l`_Xir\`d`/ TYPOLOGY -------- Word Order: Free, with stong OAV tendancies in native speakers, except Eastern tendancy toward OVA, and AOV for questions. Morphosyntax (marked [t] for free order, but tendancy): Ergative-Absolutive Place-Manner-Time[t] Noun-Adjective-Adverb[t] (ex. dog heavy very) No general adjective order, usually noted by their degree of importance (first most important) Verb-Adverb[t] Governed-Governing Head-initial Compounding Morphological: lighter side of the Inflecting scale; most affixes have many allomorphes. Inflection: Nouns: ------ Gender: Male [M] Female [F] Both [B] Neutral [N] Number: Single [S] Dual/Numbered [D] / [N] Plural/Uncounted [P] Person: First [1] Second [2] Third [3] Fourth [4] (one unknown out of mass) Fifth [5] (effectively a "mass number," but not exclusive to Number marking) Polarity: Positive [POSI] Negative [NEG] Animacy: Animal [A] Plant [P] Earth [E] Star [S] Definiteness: Zero [Z] Definite [D] Indefinite [I] Partitive [P] Clusivity: Perfectly Inclusive [PREFIN] Inclusive [INCL] Exclusive [EXCL] Perfectly Exclusive [PERFEX] Case: Absolutive [ABS] Ergative [ERG] Instrumental-Comitative [INCOM] Genitive [GEN] Possessed [POS] Dative [DAT] "Vague" [VAG] Who/What/When/Where (used to form questions about something: "Vague-you" = "Who are you?") "Existential" [EXI] Is Distributive [DIS] Equative [EQUA] Adessive [ADE] Locative [LOC] Pertingent [PERT] Ablative [ABL] Allative [ALLA] Prolative [PROL] Vocative [VOC] Verbs: ------ Aspect: Progressive [PROG] Perfect [PERF] Prospective [PROS] Tense(usually accompanied by number): Now [NOW] Immediate/Soon [IMME] Hours/Days ago/in future [DAY] Weeks ago/in future [WEEK] Months/Seasons ago/in future [SEAS] Years ago/in future ; Distant [YEAR] Polarity: Positive [POSI] Negative [NEG] Mood: Indicative [IND] Necessitative [NECESS] Deliberative [DEL] Injunctive? [INJUNC] Hypothetical? [HYPOTH] Subjunctive? [SUBJUN] Interrogative [INTERRO] Voice: Active [ACT] Antipassive [ANTI] Causitive [CAUS] Applicative [APPL] Reciprocal [RECIP] Reflexive [REFLEX] Evidentiality: "I know" [KNOW] "I witnessed/sensed" [SENSE] "I was told" [TOLD] "I think/believe" [THINK] Gender (Agreement with Subject/Agent): Male [M] Female [F] Both [B] Neutral [N] Number (Agreement with Subject/Object): Single [S] Dual/Numbered [D] / [N] Plural/Uncounted [P] Adjectives: ----------- Polarity: Positive [POSI] Negative [NEG] Comparison: Positive [POS] "Relative" [REL] Comparative [COM] "Examinative" [EXA] Superlative [SUP] Person (Agreement with Noun): First [1] Second [2] Third [3] Fourth [4] Fifth [5] Number (Agreement with Noun): Single [S] Dual/Numbered [D] / [N] Plural/Uncounted [P] Adverbs: -------- Polarity: Positive [POSI] Negative [NEG] Comparison: Positive [POS] "Relative" [REL] Comparative [COM] "Examinative" [EXA] Superlative [SUP] Number(Agreement with Verb): Single [S] Dual/Numbered [D] / [N] Plural/Uncounted [P] Person (Agreement with Adjective): First [1] Second [2] Third [3] Fourth [4] Fifth [5][b][/b]

The observant/knowledgeable/studious/etc. might have noticed that /J; C( j\( cC( J\j\( j; I( C(_k j\(_k C; j\; 3; A;/ don't exist, and this would be the case for human speech, but this language is effectively an alien language, having more places of articulation. For consonants, an opening parenthesis marks a pre-palatal, and a semicolon marks a medio-palatal. For vowels /I(/ is a near-close front-central, /3;/ is a near-open-mid front-central, and /A;/ is a near-near-open back (again, front-central, near-open-mid, and near-near-open do not exist for humans).

This is definitely a work in progress, and I will up-date as more sections are finished. Next edit, expect a building of vocabulary and more information on inflection.