Conlanging for the Opal Mask

Introduction

As I mentioned I'm going to need to make at least three (well actually at least 3.5) naming languages for this story. A naming language - for those who don't know - is minimalist conlang that has just enough detail to make proper names and possibly an inscription or two.

The first (and oldest) of these languages is the proto-language that the other 2.5 are descended from. This makes life easier because I can just use the Zompist Sound Change Applier to make the child languages.

The second is the language of magic at the time the story is set but was more widespread earlier. It relates to language one very closely being only one step removed (as closely related to language one as Latin is to to its antecedent Latino-Faliscan). Also like Classical Latin it doesn't reflect the language as spoken by the general population (there would have been a vulgar form for that) but the language of nobility, literature and law. Of course these were mutually intelligible so it barely matters. I may sketch up some of the differences as well. It's mostly case collapse and less formality. Also some pronunciation.

The third language (and this is where the 0.5 comes from) is actually a daughter language of the second which is still sort of mutually intelligible with it's parent a great deal of effort and a good vocabulary (sort of Middle English to Modern English). This is the primary language of one of the two cultures I'm detailing.

The fourth language relates to the third in the same way that - for example - French relates to German. That is it's an entirely different branch of the same language family. I'm debating if to sketch out an intermediary language (or two) for that as well. I'm also debating if they use language 2 for magic - but I doubt it. Culture 2 would probably just use their current language rather than a special form.

Hopefully as soon as I get the sounds and morphology sorted out I can actually name these.

Today I'll be working on Language 1. (Also I have the oddest feeling I'm not going to be able to resist going into more detail than a naming language needs.

Language 1:

Consonants:

	labial	labio- dental	alveolar	palatal	velar	glottal
Stops	p b		t d		k g
Fricatives			s z
Affricates			ts dz
Approximates	w		r l	y
Nasals	m		n

Vowels:

Short: a e o
Long: ā ē ō

Dipthongs:

Dipthongs in language 1 are best analysed as vowel-semivowel combinations but are orthographised here using vowels that don't exist as separate sounds in the language.

ai au āi āu ei eu ēi ēu oi ou ōi ōu

(Why, yes I do believe I did steal the vowels wholesale from Proto-Indo-European. Why do you ask?)

 

Phonological Constraints: 

(C)(A)V(S,N)  (C=any consonant, A=Approximant, V-Any Vowel, S-Stop, N=Nasal)

CAV(S,N) can only occur when the initial C is not an Approximant.

Type:

Agglutinative (though I suspect the descendant languages will be fusional or even isolating)

 

Stress:

The first syllable of a word is stressed. Monosyllabic words are not stressed unless they are the final word in a question.
 

 

Pitch:

A rising pitch generally occurs on all the penultimate syllable of polysyllabic words but not on monosyllabic words. The exception is the last word of a question where the rising pitch is on the final syllable and monosyllabic words are also have pitch.
 

--

So that's the basic sound of the Language done. Next Language post will try and make some grammatical decisions like cases, genders/noun classes, verb tenses and moods, word order etc. I will also try and stop this getting out of hand (yes, mountain people conlang with your nine classes and umpteen cases I'm looking at you).
 

Go on to Post 2 here.