Completely revamping one of my old languages

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Man in Space
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Completely revamping one of my old languages

Post by Man in Space »

Picking back up an old thread here…Tsols Oswahe, the Old Tongue. That name is going to go bye-bye due to how I'm going to wreck the phonology/morphology.

Start with this phonology:

/m n ɲ/
/p pʰ b t tʰ d k kʰ g/
/s x h/
/w l j ɰ/

/u o a ɨ e i/

(s)(O)(R)V(N/(N)s/h/w(N)/l(N)/j(N)) (…or something along those lines)

Some morphological processes:
- Nasal assimilation to a following obstruent
- *h-deletion before an aspirate

Ignore this (or don't); it's scratch material/WIP stuff while I was trying to nail down how I wanted to proceed.
Spoiler:
spʰlɨjn > sflɨjn >
koki > hotsi
kHons > xons > hons
kHons-kHe > konsxe > konɕ:e > honɕ:e > hoɕ:e
tHal > sal > sel > ɕel
tHal-kHe > talkHe > telxe > tɕelxe > tɕelɕe
tHomi > somi > somi somi
tHomi-kHe > tomixe > tomiɕe > tomɕe > tonɕe tonse
kj1wm > kj1:m > ki:m
kj1wm-kHe > kj1:mxe > ki:nɕe > kin:e
ediw > edZiw
ediw-kHe > ediwxe > edi:xe > edʑi:xe > edZi:ɕe > edZiɕɕe > eddZe
jes
jes-kHe > jesxe > jeɕɕe
tnej > tni
tnej-kHe > tnejxe > tneɕɕe
spʰlɨjn > spHl1:n > sfl1:n > sfla:n > es:la:n > jesla:n
spʰlɨjn-kHe > spl1:nkHe > spl1:nxe > spl1:nɕe > spla:nɕe > splan:e

stwolɲ > stwoli
stwolɲ-kHe > stwolɲxe > stwoliCe stuolise
sgjuj > zgjoj > zgjo: sgiO
x1l > xal
kwawn > kwa:n quAn
kwawn-kHe > kwa:nxe > kwan:e quanne
skʰnɨ > sxn1 > sxna > es:na > jesna iesna
skʰnɨ-kHe >skn1xe > skn1ɕe > sknaɕe scnase

hij > h1j > haj hai
awɲ > a:j Ai

gɲew > gjew gieu
gɲew-kHe > gɲewxe > gɲe:xe > gɲe:ɕe > gje:ɕe giEse

xw1 > hi hi
xw1j > we ue
noj > noi
stjal > stjel stiel
e >
tʰɲe > sNe > sje
36 - ilm > ilm
End up here:

/m n ȵ/ m n n(e)
/p b t d tɕ dʑ k g/ p b t d t(e) d(e) c g
/s ɕ h/ s s(e) h
/w l ȴ j/ u l l(e) i

/kw/ is written qu.

/o oː a aː e eː i iː/ o ō a ā e ē i ī

All alveolars are obligatorily palatalized before /e(ː)/ (they aren't before /i(ː)/ because *u came in like a wrecking ball and recreated the contrast in that position). In other cases the palatalization is written with an e; these consonants cannot occur word-finally.

Sound changes:
Spoiler:
V{w,j} > V: / _N
i > 1 / _j%
Cʰ…Cʰ > C…Cʰ (some variation on Grassmann's law)
pʰ tʰ kʰ > f s x
Vh > Vː / _%
VCː > VːC
Vw > V: / _K
{a,o}(ː) > e(ː) / _{w,l,j}
t d s > tɕ dʑ ɕ / _{E,j}
u(ː) > jo(ː) / #(C)(C)(C)_
k g x > tɕ dʑ ɕ / _E
{k,g,x} > h / _{o(ː),a(ː)}
w1(:) > u(:)
j1(:) > i(:)
m ɲ > w j / a(:)_#
ɨ(ː) > a(ː)
u(ː) > o(ː) / _R
u(ː) > i(ː)
i(:)j > i:s / _%
{sF,Fs} > sː
Ø > e / #_s:
f > w / V(C)_%
f > h
Vh > V: / _%
Penult deletion, if permitted (generally disallowed if there was an onset cluster or some violation of the sonority hierarchy; short wV and jV sequences become o and i / _h), plus assimilation
V:NF > VN: / _V#
N > Ø / _C:
jC > C:
es: > jes / #_C
ej > i
i(:)w > jo(:) (> o(:) if following an alveolopalatal)
ɲ > j or i, depending on the environment / _%
jo(:)j > jo:
u(:)j > we(:) / _%
x > Ø / _w
x > k / w_
x > Ø / _VC(C)%
x > w / _E
x > h / _V
x > s
ihV > V:
w > Ø / s(C)_
w > Ø / e(:)_#
ns > s: / _V#
V: > V / _C:
{b,d} > Ø / #_w
Just to give a taste of how this thing developed, the words for "one", "two", "some", and "all". These are actually forms of the same adjective in the four numbers: Singular, dual, partitive, and plural. It's more of an indefinite article than anything else (the "some" meaning is inherent to the partitive).

ui īs uiha onsa
ōn uisei uiha honā
uise uisei uā uōns
is uisas uisam uise
ōm uisem holēm uē
Spoiler:
xwɨ xwɨj xwɨpʰa xwɨntʰɨ > wi iːs wiha onsa
xwɨw xwɨtʰi xwɨkʰɨ xwɨnɨh > oːn wiɕi wiha honaː
xwɨkʰe xwɨkʰi xwɨkʰa xwɨkʰens > wiɕe wiɕi waː woːns
xwɨs xwɨsatʰ xwɨsɨm xwɨswe > is wisas wisam wiɕe
xwɨwm xwɨtʰem xwɨewm xwɨpʰow > oːm wiɕem holeːm weː
More numbers:
Spoiler:
3 – nuj > njoː niō
4 – stjal > stɕel stel
5 – hjiwɲ > hiːs hīs
6 – tʰɲe > sje sie

ilm > ilm ilm 6^2
xin > ɕin sein 6^3
spʰnɨ > jesna iesna 6^4
dnol > dɲel dnel 6^5
tʰawnsam > saːnsaw sānsau 6^6
own > oːn ōn 6^7
uː > joː 6^8
Your basic standard Latin-lite case system.

NOM -Ø -i/-j -pʰa -(n)tʰɨ
GEN -un/-wn -tʰi -kʰɨ -nɨh
ACC -kʰe -kʰi -kʰa -kʰons
DAT -s(ɨ) -satʰ -sɨm -swe
ABL -um/-wm -tʰem -lewm -pʰow

One thing I like is that some noun stems end up having strong and weak forms (for example, in the accusative) because the aspiration triggers the deaspiration of any previous aspirated stops.

One quirk of this language—and I seem to recall reading somewhere that one of Tolkien's languages did this—is that using the definite article with the partitive number gives the connotation of "many" (as opposed to just "some").

kwawn > kwa:n quān 'star' (nom. sg.)
kwawn-kHe > kwa:nxe > kwan:e quanne (acc. sg.)

Let's look at the word for "star", quān-.

quān
quānon
quanne
quanna
quānom

quānei
quanni
quanni
quānsas
quānsem

quamma
quanna
quanna
quānsam
quānlēm

quanni
quānā
quānons
quasse
quāme
Spoiler:
kwawn > kwaːn
kwawnun > kwaːnon
kwawnkʰe > kwanːe
kwawnsɨ > kwanːa
kwawnum > kwaːnom

kwawni > kwaːɲi
kwawntʰi > kwanːi
kwawnkʰi > kwanːi
kwawnsatʰ > kwaːnsas
kwawntʰem > kwaːnɕem

kwawnpʰa > kwamːa
kwawnkʰɨ > kwanːa
kwawnkʰa > kwanːa
kwawnsɨm > kwaːnsam
kwawnlewm > kwaːnlʲeːm

kwawntʰi > kwanːi
kwawnːɨh > kwaːnaː
kwawnkʰons > kwaːnons
kwawnswe > kwaːnɕe
kwawnpʰow > kwaːme
Or another word…let's try uē(s)-, doh- (< *dweh), "leg". This one is bizarre, but I like it.


dohon
uēse
uēsa
dohom

dohi
uesei
uesei
uēsas
uesem

doha
ueha
doha
uēsam
uesem

uesa
uēnā
dohons
uēse
dohe

Let's try something that will alternate the aspiration (*tʰom 'plateau' >):

som
smon
tosse
sons
smom

smi
tossei
tossei
tonsas
tonsem

toma
tona
tona
sonsam
somlēm

tossa
somnā
tonons
sosse
tome

Another one (*kʰu 'day, full day/night cycle' >):

sio
iōn
cise
ios
iōm

siō
cisei
cisei
cisas
cisem

ciha
ciha
ciha
uisam
uilēm
Twin Aster megathread

AVDIO · VIDEO · DISCO

CC = Common Caber
CK = Classical Khaya
CT = Classical Ĝare n Tim Ar
Kg = Kgáweq'
PB = Proto-Beheic
PO = Proto-O
PTa = Proto-Taltic
STK = Sisỏk Tlar Kyanà
Tm = Təmattwəspwaypksma
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Creyeditor
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Re: Completely revamping one of my old languages

Post by Creyeditor »

I like the aesthetics [:)]
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User avatar
Man in Space
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Re: Completely revamping one of my old languages

Post by Man in Space »

Thank you, Creyeditor!

Some verbal morphology.

Let's look at a verb, flān:

ROOT flaːn flān

1SG flaːnkwi flānqui
2SG flaːnʲes flānes
3SG.M flaːnʲed flāned
3SG.F plaːnɕel plānsel
3SG.INAN flaːnmi flānmi

1DL flaːnkwe flānque
2DL flaːnaj flānai
3DL.M flaːndʑi flāndei
3DL.F plaːnslʲi plānslei
3DL.INAN flaːnmaj flānmai

1PAUC plaːnkwiː plānquī
2PAUC flaːnjep flāniep
3PAUC.M flaːntap flāntap
3PAUC.F plaːnslʲip plānsleip
3PAUC.INAN plamːa plamma

1PL planːo planno
2PL flaːnʲe flāne
3PL.M flaːnʲin flānein
3PL.F plaːnʲelɕi plānelsei
3PL.INAN planːi planni

Here, the first-person plural, first-person paucal, all third-person feminine, and the third-person paucal and plural inanimate endings have what I call the p-state; the rest have the f-state. These states are so-called because of the alternations that occur—this was due to consonant disharmony in the protolanguage, whereby aspirated consonants lost their aspiration if there was an aspirated consonant later on in the same word. I'm thinking that most, if not all, fricative-initial verbs will analogize to the appropriate stops in these forms.
Twin Aster megathread

AVDIO · VIDEO · DISCO

CC = Common Caber
CK = Classical Khaya
CT = Classical Ĝare n Tim Ar
Kg = Kgáweq'
PB = Proto-Beheic
PO = Proto-O
PTa = Proto-Taltic
STK = Sisỏk Tlar Kyanà
Tm = Təmattwəspwaypksma
jimydog000
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Re: Completely revamping one of my old languages

Post by jimydog000 »

Looks nice, kinda gives the impression of Latin without looking European.
Are all those sound changes happening at the same time?
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