[YG Conlang Archives] > [romconlang group] > messages [Date Index] [Thread Index] >
Hi!
I would like to announce my new romlang Terkunan [tErku'nan] or
'Tarragonian'. It was designed to be what I feel is an elegant
romlang derived from Vulgar Latin. In contrast to ï¿œrjï¿œtrunn, there is
not one strict set of sound changes taken from another existing
natlang, but a set compiled by my personal preferences. (Are there
names to distinguish these two types of conlangs?)
Some sound changes:
- drop of initial unstressed i-: imperium > mperi
- drop of final vowels: panem > pan
- no palatalisation: caelum > kel
- l > r shifts: blancum > branke
- syncope: hominem > ombre
- r..r dissimilation: regnum > ringle
- epenthesis: insula > istre
The idea that started this conlang was a vowel shift, namely the
collapse of the Vulgar Latin seven vowel system of /a e E i o O u/
into /a e i o u/. The collapsed happened in several steps:
In Vulgar Roman times, the seven vowel system acquired a new
non-phonemic length in open syllables. This length distinction then
influenced how the seven phonemic vowels collapsed into five: /e:/ and
/E:/ both collapsed into /e:/ = [e:] (and /o:/ and /O:/ into /o:/ = [o:]).
And both /i/ and /e/ collapsed into /i/ = [I] (and /u/ and /o/ into
/u/ = [U]). The pronunciation of the phones today is just like in
Classical Latin again, only length is now non-phonemically selected by
openness of the syllable:
/e:/ [e:]
/e/ [E]
/i:/ [i:]
/i/ [I]
...
This leads to the following modern words (it's all about the first
vowel in each word here):
fe:mina > fimbre [fImbre] classical [e:] in closed syl. => modern 'i'
fe:li:cem > felike [felike] classical [e:] is open syl. => modern 'e'
sexa > ses [sEs] classical [E] in closed syl. => modern 'e'
decem > deke [deke] classical [E] in open syl. => modern 'e'
Because of this, some words will probably have irregular i-e or u-o
alterations in derivations or in the plural (but I have no examples
yet) when the openness of syllables changes.
A first sketch is here (including grammar which I neglected in this
post):
http://www.kunstsprachen.de/s25/
And here's the first text:
Mis Patre [mIs 'patre]
Mis patre, k'es n'kels, [mIs 'patre 'kes N=kEls]
Es bendika tu nombre. ['es bEn'dika tu 'nOmbre]
Vena tu ringle. ['vena tu 'rINgle]
Es fika tu volat, ['es 'fika tu vo'lat]
Komu n'kel si n'ter. ['komuN kEl sin tEr]
Odiu dar a mis le mis pan ['odju da ra mIs le mIs pan
pe katu di. pe 'katu di]
I perdonar a mis le mis devats, [i pEr'dona ra mIs le mIs de'vats]
Si komu mis perdonar ils a [si 'komu mIs pEr'dona rIl sa
mis devators. mIs de'vatOrs]
I no nduka mis n'tentasion, [i nOn 'duka mIs n=tEnta'sjOn]
Ma libera mis de mal. [ma li'bera mIs de mal]
Ka de tu es ringle i pot i glori, [ka de tu es 'rINgle i pOt i 'glori]
In eterne, [In e'tErne]
Amin. [a'mIn]
What do you think?
**Henrik