Shattering Conlangs 01 - Ketsa and Alisi - Sounds and Stuff

Sorry if the font is weird on this. Copying and pasting from notes.

Since I'm currently between jobs due to redundancy (Though I do have several interviews and potential interviews happening so I'm sure it won't be for long) I've decided it's a good time to work on what I've referred to as "The Opal Mask" conlang. The Opal Mask itself is on hold but another story "Shattering" is coming along nicely.

Shattering is set in the same world and region but several centuries earlier. You may remember it the first few hundred words of it from here. So I'm going to try and make a post per day on my conlangs, at least until I get another job.

You'll have noticed that there are two languages named in the subject - these are working names and may well change. Ketsa is a complete redo of the languages you'll find in the original Opal Mask conlang posts. Alisi is the language of a nearby (and somewhat antagonist) neighbour. The two languages are from different language families and thus very different. So without further ado:

Ketsa

Phonology:

Consonants:

 

	labio-dental	alveolar	palatal	velar	uvular	glottal
stops	p b	t d		k g
fricatives	f v	s z				h
affricates		ts dz
approximants	w	r l	y	ŗ
nasals	m	n	ny	ng

 

Notes: Yes, I dropped the aspirated stops. They were a complication I didn't need. The orthography for the velar approximant is subject to change if I can think of a better one since r and ŗ aren't very distinct visually..

 

Vowels

 

	front		central		back
	unrounded	rounded	unrounded	rounded	unrounded	rounded
closed
mid	e
open	a					o

 

Dipthongs:
Dipthongs in Ketsai are best analysed as vowel-semivowel combinations but are orthographised here using vowels that don't exist as separate sounds in the language. In this context i is ɪ and u is ʊ:
ai au ei eu oi ou

 

Phonotactics:
(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.

 

Alisi

Phonology:
Consonants:

 

	labio-dental	alveolar	palatal	velar	uvular	glottal
stops	p pp b	t tt d		k kk g	q qq gh
fricatives	f	s ll		ch	sj
affricates
approximants		l		j	r
nasals	m	n

 

Notes: pp, tt, kk and qq are ejectives (pronounced with simultaneous closure of the glottis). Ll is a voiceless lateral fricative identical to the one orthographised that way in Welsh.

Vowels:

	front		central		back
	unrounded	rounded	unrounded	rounded	unrounded	rounded
closed	i					u
mid	e					o
open			a

Notes: Alisi has only pure vowels.

 

Phonotactics:
(C)V – Only the first syllable of a word can be V.

Type:
Agglutinating

Stress:
Stress in polysyllabic words is on the first syllable. Monosyllabic words are unstressed except for the question indicator particle (more on this later).

Back tomorrow with Nominal Grammar!