Random phonology/phonemic inventory thread

[roninbodhisattva]

Anybody else just have random ideas for phonemic inventories and/or more fully fleshed out phonologies? I do. So I thought it might be an interesting...or not so interesting thread....to have a place to put them. Basically I wanted to post this. But feel free to post yours

Stops/affricate: /p t tʃ kʲ k kʷ q qʷ ʔ/
Fricatives: /β ð s ʃ x ɣ xʷ h/
Nasals: /m n ɲ ŋ/
Liquids: /l ɾ ʎ/
Approximants: /j w/

Vowels: /i y u e ɛ ə o a ɑ:/

I may get rid of /ð ɣ/, add /θ/ and then change /β/ to /ʋ/. We'll see. The vowels are pretty loose right now. I may get rid of the second low vowel and add /ɨ/.

[Ceresz]

I do, a lot of the time.

This is the phonemic inventory of my latest project (which I'm trying to take it slow with):

Vowels
There are ten vowels in Hjaélim, each of which can be either short or long (except for the schwa and the near-open central vowel).

Code: Select all

           Front | Central | Back
Close    : i       ɨ         u
Mid      :         ə
Open-mid : ɛ                 ɔ
Near-open: æ       ɐ
Open     :         a         ɒ

Consonants

Code: Select all

             Bilibial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal      : m        n
Plosive    : pʰ p     tʰ t            cʰ c    kʰ k
Fricative  : ɸ              s         ç       x     h
Trill      :                r
Lateral    :                l
Approximant:                          j      

I haven't decided upon whether I should use /ɨ/ or /y/ yet.
The vowel inventory might be a little funky, but I like it. This is just a first draft, though.

This is a good thread. Now there won't be hundreds of thread just dedicated to phonologies .

[Micamo]

Too lazy to make a full inventory, but I've a strong desire to play around with labiodentalized consonants. Maybe an Acoi branch?

Perhaps a lenition hierarchy, with

kᶹ > ⱱ > v > ʋ

[MrKrov]

You can have this one; I'm not using it anymore.

Code: Select all

Plosive: /p b m t d n k g/
Fricative: /ɸ β β̃ s z z̃/
Trill: /r/
Approximant: /l j ɰ/
Vowels: /a i u e o ã ĩ ɯ̃ ẽ õ/

[Thakowsaizmu]

I haven't decided upon whether I should use /ɨ/ or /y/ yet.
The vowel inventory might be a little funky, but I like it. This is just a first draft, though.

Stick with /ɨ/.

This is a good thread. Now there won't be hundreds of thread just dedicated to phonologies .

You know that's not going to happen...

[Ceresz]

Stick with /ɨ/.

I think I will.
Any more comments?

You know that's not going to happen...

One can always dream...

Too lazy to make a full inventory, but I've a strong desire to play around with labiodentalized consonants. Maybe an Acoi branch?

Perhaps a lenition hierarchy, with

kᶹ > ⱱ > v > ʋ

Sounds interesting.

How are things with Acoi?

[roninbodhisattva]

I haven't decided upon whether I should use /ɨ/ or /y/ yet.
The vowel inventory might be a little funky, but I like it. This is just a first draft, though.

I really like that vowel inventory too. But I would say stick with the central vowel, because I like it. If you want the rounding...you could be crazy and go with /ʉ/...

[Ceresz]

I really like that vowel inventory too. But I would say stick with the central vowel, because I like it. If you want the rounding...you could be crazy and go with /ʉ/...

Thanks. I think I'll stick with this inventory, at least for the time being :-).
Now I just have to stop being lazy and start my work on the morphology.

[Micamo]

How are things with Acoi?

Absolutely terrible. The phonology is far too simplistic to have much dialectical variation aside from the voiceless prenasals.

[roninbodhisattva]

Now I just have to stop being lazy and start my work on the morphology.

Maybe we should have random syntax and morphology idea threads too.

[Ceresz]

Absolutely terrible. The phonology is far too simplistic to have much dialectical variation aside from the voiceless prenasals.

Even though it's simplistic, I'm sure you could find a way to justify some crazy sound changes and dialectical variations.

Maybe we should have random syntax and morphology idea threads too.

Yeah, maybe :lol:.
My ideas are too similar to each other, so I could probably use a thread like that for inspiration.

[roninbodhisattva]

Absolutely terrible. The phonology is far too simplistic to have much dialectical variation aside from the voiceless prenasals.

Even though it's simplistic, I'm sure you could find a way to justify some crazy sound changes and dialectical variations.[/quote]
How can that be the case? I mean, dialectal variation can happen even in very simple phonologies?

[Micamo]

It's not so much that I can't make any variation as it is I'm having trouble making interesting variation. The dialects should still be mutually understandable but they also lay the seed for future developments. It is a proto-lang after all.

[Ceresz]

It's not so much that I can't make any variation as it is I'm having trouble making interesting variation. The dialects should still be mutually understandable but they also lay the seed for future developments. It is a proto-lang after all.

What is interesting to you?

Any examples of ideas you have so far?

[roninbodhisattva]

Last one for today and then maybe I'll actually do some work.

Stops /p t d k g/
Fricatives /v s z ɕ ʑ x~h/
Nasals /m n/
Liquids /l ɾ j/

Single vowels: /i ʉ u e o a ɛ̃ ʌ̃/
Vowel clusters/dipthongs: /ai au ei ou ui ia ʉa ua ie uo/

Words may begin with a vowel or single consonant. Between vowels, there may be one or two consonants. Some of these post vocalic clusters may also occur word finally. The are also a small number of word final single consonants. The clusters are:

/ts ks/
/st sk xt ɕt ɕk zd zg ʑd ʑg vd vg/
/nd ng ld lg lv ɾd ɾg ɾv lj ɾj/

Final consonants: /t k s m n sh l ɾ/

[Micamo]

What is interesting to you?

Any examples of ideas you have so far?

"Interesting" to me is basically "bat shit insane" ;p

I suppose I can put this consonant inventory up as a "target"...

/p t k p̪ tᶹ kᶹ b d g b̪ dᶹ gᶹ f s x sᶹ xᶹ ṽ z̃ m ɱ n m̥ ɱ̥ n̥ ʋ l j lᶹ jᶹ/

[Ceresz]

Well, if you want something insane, then I probably won't be of much help :lol:.

I'm trying to figure out which diphthongs I will allow in this lang.
The only ones I have decided upon are /ai au iu/, but I want something funky thrown in there too.

[roninbodhisattva]

/iə ɨə uə ɛə ɔə/? I love those. I also like /ie uo/ very very very much.

[Ceresz]

/iə ɨə uə ɛə ɔə/?

Yeah, I was thinking about doing something with the schwa.

Maybe I'll have /ai au iu iə əu/? And maybe something with /ɨ/.
I hate deciding these things.

[roninbodhisattva]

I hate deciding on diphthongs. Just start doing it and see how it works out.