2024/10/02 - Phonology Soup I

Today we'll be discussing the plans for this conlang's phonology, first working on the ancestral phonology and then the modern phonology. This is meant to be a first test, rather than the final form the phonology will take once I've settled upon it. Without further ado, let's get into the phonologies.

Ancestral Phonology Idea

Consonants: /m n ɲ ŋ p t c k h l j w/
Vowels: /a e o i u/
Syllable Structure: (C)V(C), forbids /ij uw/
Stress: final if that syllable is heavy, otherwise on the penultimate syllable

Modern Phonology Idea

(Onset) Consonants: /m n ɲ ŋ p t t͡s t͡ɕ k b d d͡z d͡ʑ g s z ɕ ʑ l j w/
Vowels: /æ ɑ e o i u/
Syllable Structure: (C)(j,w)V(N,ʔ,j,w,ː)

Drafting Sound Changes

Recalling the sound changes considered in the last update, let's elaborate upon them to fit with the phonologies. The following changes only cover up to the loss of nasals and phonemicisation of high tone, and do not consider any further developments.

1. Glottal assimilation (1): [+glottal] → [+sonorant]¹ / [+sonorant]¹ _
2. Glottal assimilation (2): [+stop]¹ h → [+stop]¹ [+aspirated +stop]¹
3. Glottal assimilation (3): h → ∅ / [+vowel] _ [+vowel]
4. Vowel merger (1): [+vowel -low]¹ a → [+long +vowel +mid frontness¹ roundedness¹] ∅
5. Vowel merger (2): [+vowel -low]² → [+semivowel]² / [+vowel]¹ _
6. Vowel merger (3): a a → aː ∅
7. Lateral vocalisation: l → w / _ $
8. Vowel nasalisation: [+vowel] → [+nasal +vowel] / _ [+nasal]
9. Nasal cluster assimilation: [+nasal +stop] → [-nasal +stop]¹ / _ [+stop]¹
10. Denasalisation: [+nasal +stop] → [+prenasalised +stop] / _ [-nasal +vowel]
11. Stop debuccalisation: [+stop] → [+glottal +stop] / _ ![+vowel]
12. Tonogenesis: [-high] → [+high] / _ [+glottal] $
13. Glottal assimilation (4): [+vowel] h [+stop]¹ → [+long +vowel] ∅ [+aspirated +stop]
14. Glottal assimilation (5): [+vowel] h → [+long +vowel] ∅
15. Coda nasal loss: [+nasal +vowel] [+nasal +stop] → [+long +nasal +vowel] ∅ / _ $
16. Sonorant assimilation: [+sonorant]¹ [+sonorant]² → [+sonorant]² [+sonorant]²
17. Stop chain shift (1): [-aspirated +stop] → [+voiced +stop] / [+voiced] _ [+voiced]
18. Stop chain shift (2): [+aspirated +stop] → [-aspirated +stop] / [+voiced] _ [+voiced]
19. Glide merger: V(ː)j, V(ː)w → iː, uː / _ $
20. Nasal vowel shift: ẽ(ː), õ(ː), ĩ(ː), ũ(ː) → ã(ː), ã(ː), ẽ(ː), õ(ː)

Some randomly generated words following these changes will now be presented.

*puju → puju
*wikaɲuwo → wigãᶮɟuwo
*luku → lugu
*jiwi → jiwi
*ɲumjiwma → ɲẽːjũːᵐba
*kutetpu → kudéʔpu
*kunjecwipuŋ → kẽːjéʔwibuŋõː
*polmi → puːᵐbi
*jokjanŋici → jóʔjãːᵑgici
*wuhluku → wúːlugu

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