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Re: [romconlang] New Lang:



 --- Jeff Jones skrzypszy: 

> I've been hoping to get some issues resolved before my turn in the 
> romlang relay. I can always make snap decisions, but I hate putting
> things into a relay text that have to be taken out of the language 
> later.

Sure. The version of the language you use in a relay will be frozen
forever. Of course, you can always keep an updated version of it on
one of your own pages, and I'll be happy to add a link to it.

> Some of the issues are:
> * The language has no name yet.
> 
> This is a very generic language, spoken in an alternate universe. 
> From the standpoint of *here*, it's a mixture of features from 
> different romance branches. So I don't know where it's spoken.

I don't particularly like a name like "Generic", but it depends of
course on how much you'd like to mimic the real world.

If that's the case, well, then I think you have the following
options:

- a name based on ROMAN- or LATIN-: not the most attractive or
ambitious solution, I admit, but credible nonetheless;
- a name based on a substrate (like Wenedyk < VENEDI); this might not
work in your case, because you don't seem to work with any particular
sub-, super- or adstrate;
- the name of the region; if you should decide to have it spoken in
Malta, for example, then you can simply call it "Maltese", or
"Alt-Maltese";
- a description of the region; for example "Portugal" < PORTUS CALUS.
This may be the best solution in your case.

> |Saex�n| sounds nice, but would be too confusing. 

Indeed.

> |Izlar| would limit me to an island and |Granvall�s| to a large 
> valley. 

Personally I like Granvall�s. Mind you, a valley can also be located
on an island, and how large large is is largely relative.

> My *best* idea is |Scolar| (or |Escolar|), after the scholars in
> charge of orthography conversion when borrowing learned words.

Hmm, not my favourite.

> * There are some sound changes I'd like to confirm first.
> Unlike French, Spanish, etc. one thing I want to do is keep the 
> development of VL tj (tz, dz, zz) distinct from cj and fronted c (c
> [e], g[e], ss). I think at least some varieties of Italian do this?
> VL dj will still merge with gj (g[e], s), and fronted g with j.

Yes? So, what do you need confirmation about? I like it.

> * I need to decide on a number of pronoun forms.

Before I can tell you anything, could you please explain the concepts
"situational", "indefinite specific", etc.?

> Good, I'm going to present more problems in another email. And
> later, some preliminary texts. 

Yes please! :)

> Right now all I have is stuff like: "Pellos buens filhes de San 
> Giosafad!"

I read all your messages under the header "New Lang" today. I think
it is a very promising project, and I'd surely like to see more of
it. There's little I can comment about the phonology bit, except
this: if you use this language in the relay, and you have the
necessary equipment, then I'd love to hear it spoken as well.

Generic as it may be, the look-'n'-feel of the language is clearly
Western Romance. At least, that's my impression based on what little
info I've seen. I would say, it's located on a place somewhere
between Portugal, France and Italy.

Cheers,
Jan

=====
"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito."


	
	
		
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