[YG Conlang Archives] > [ceqli group] > messages [Date Index] [Thread Index] >


[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]

Re: xi, etc.



 Rex May - Baloo <rmay@hidden.email> wrote

> on 2/8/03 10:22 PM, Alexander Browne at
> alexbrowne@hidden.email wrote: 
> >> I've decided that the Ceqli word for 'person'
> should be 'so'> 'xi' means 'woman'> >> I'm
considering 'jo' or 'zo'> 
> We want three different words � person, man(male),
> woman(female)> All should have the form CV, with
each C and V being> different.  The latter two will
have the forms Co and Ci.   Assigning the second two
thus:> zo and xi means that 'person' must end with
vowel 'u'> I'm inclined towards 'su'.

Ray: XI is perfect for female, and ZO/JO or ZU/JU seem
reasonable choices for male.  S~ is closely related to
both X~ and Z~ and is balanced between them.  X~ and
J~ are also balanced in relationship to S~ and Z~.
Either R~ or Y~ strike me to be as appropriate for
person than S~ or Z~. Below I have listed the
possibilities to weigh up the balance: 

Examples:
Female - Person - Male
  XI   -   RA   -  ZU
  XI   -   RA   -  ZO*
  XI   -   RA   -  JU
  XI   -   RA   -  JO*
  XI   -   RE   -  ZU
  XI   -   RE   -  ZO*
  XI   -   RE   -  JU
  XI   -   RE   -  JO*
  XI   -   RO   -  ZU
  XI   -   RU   -  ZO
  XI   -   RO   -  JU
  XI   -   RU   -  JO
  XI   -  YA/SA -  ZU
  XI   -   YA   -  RO*
  XI   -  YE/SE -  ZU
  XI   -  YE/SE -  RO
  XI   -   SA   -  ZE
  XI   -   SA   -  ZO*
  XI   -   SO   -  ZU
  XI   -   SO   -  ZE
  XI   -   SU   -  ZE
  XI   -   SU   -  ZO*

I asterisked those that looked better balanced to me
and list them here:
  XI   -   RA   -  ZO
  XI   -   RA   -  JO
  XI   -   RE   -  ZO
  XI   -   RE   -  JO
  XI   -   YA   -  RO
  XI   -   SA   -  ZO
  XI   -   SU   -  ZO

As a Japanese speaker JO strikes me as being female so
out of these I would choose:
  XI   -   RA   -  ZO  
  XI   -   RE   -  ZO*
  XI   -   YA   -  RO
  XI   -   SA   -  ZO*
  XI   -   SU   -  ZO

RA also seems masculine to me - it is the word for
male in Sona! And ~U - ~O are not always distinctive
in Semitic languages......

So finally:
           'XI - SA - ZO' looks best to me!

Ray

http://greetings.yahoo.com.au - Yahoo! Greetings
- Send your seasons greetings online this year!