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--- In romconlang@yahoogroups.com, "Isaac A. Penzev" <isaacp@u...> wrote: > jsjonesmiami scripsit: > > > I just sent Y. off-list a copy of the message on the vowels. The > > original msg is at > > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romconlang/message/786 > > Hi, Jeff! > Now I see that I got the original msg too, it was just hidden > among dozens of other stuff. I've got only one question: what's > the origin of tones? > > Respectfully yours, > Yitzik Hi, Yitzik The H (high) tone level comes from stress [and the L (low) tone level from the lack of stress]. The HL tone marked by the circumflex originally comes from the coalition of a stressed syllable with the following short syllable, usually starting with consonant loss (disappearance or mutation into vowel), with the unstressed vowel lost subsequently. The HL tone marked by the acute comes from the requirement of ending the word on a low tone level. (Of course, in most cases, the final syllable came to be stressed due to the loss of the vowel in the original final syllable.) For the circumflex, adding, say, a feminine |-a| or plural |-es| doesn't affect the tone, while for the acute, the syllable will revert to H tone. There are probably some other instances of HL tone spreading due to analogy. Possible examples (I don't know if these are actually in the language) frêid HL from "fri.gi.dum frêida HL from "fri.gi.da descréd HL from dis"cre:.tum descreda H from dis"cre:.ta ----------------------------------------------------------------- for easy reference: The stressed syllable is always long and either has a high-steady tone (H) or a high-falling-to-low tone (HL). Unstressed syllables have low tones (L). This is of course a simplification WRT actual pitches. The circumflex may occur in the last or next-to-last syllable and always indicates HL tone. The acute may occur in any of the last 3 syllables, but is used only when necessary (I haven't figured out all the rules yet). It indicates HL tone in the last syllable and H tone elsewhere.