Re: The Grand Master Plan

[Geoff Eddy <geoff@morven.compulink.co.uk>]

Andrew Smith wrote:
> 
> On Thu, 21 May 1998, I wrote:

> > If anyone's interested, I'll assemble something for Breathanach...

> I've shown you mine, now you show me yours!

Here we go then!

I should point out that (1) Breathanach sticks more closely to Vulgar
Latin than Brithenig; (2) it seems more akin to Spanish and Italian than
French; (3) some Liotan influence was probably unavoidable; and (4)
there are a few bits I'm not sure about yet...

Andrew, I noticed that you omitted /au h/ and initial /v/; was this an
oversight?

Geoff
-- 
 [] My mission in life is to create original,    [] Geoff Eddy, in
Edinburgh []
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 [] Homepage is at http://www.cix.co.uk/~morven  []  as sdainireumh
Anna...  []
Li mhutaith de shon de Breathanach
==================================

Bits I'm not sure about and would appreciate suggestions for:

- Exactly when consonants lenite
- What initial /v/ should become
- Should /E/ -> /a/ before a broad consonant?
- How would /e E i/ develop before consonant + /v/? E.g. "debui".

Consonants
==========

Consonants become broad before original /a o u/ and slender before /e i/.

All consonants, except /v h/, lenite between two vowels, or between
a vowel and /l n r/, EXCEPT before a stressed vowel. This is one of
the rules I'm not sure about - most of the words I've got so far feel
correct and follow this rule, although I have an itchy feeling
something's wrong with it.


Single and double consonants
----------------------------

/p t c/ -> /ph th ch/ when lenited, otherwise /p t c/

/pp tt cc/ -> /p t c/

/b d g m/ -> /bh dh gh mh/ or /b d g m/ as with /p t c/

/bb dd gg mm/ -> /b d g m/

/nn ll rr/ -> /nn ll rr/ (unlenited forms of /l n r/)

/n l r/ -> /n l r/ as with the other consonants; their lenitions are
not written initially.

/h/ disappears always.

/v/ initially is problematic! It could develop to /f/, /g/ (as did /w/
in French), /b/ or /u/; I tend towards /f/. Medially it affects vowels
and disappears after a consonant (see below), remaining /bh/ after a
vowel; thus "pavo" -> "pobh", but "habui" -> "oibhe".

/q/ -> /c/ + /u/; thus "aqua" -> "och".

Clusters
--------

/pt ct nct/ all -> /cht/; /x/ -> /sc/; /nt/ -> /nn/ finally

Initial /sp st sc/ remain.

/ns/ -> /s/

Vowels
======

Some of the queries below are motivated more by spelling than by
pronunciation.

Close /e o/ -> /ia ua/ in Sc.


/i:/ -> /i/, but /e/ (spelt AO) between two broad consonants. Not sure
what before /Cv/.

/e: i oe/ -> /e/ (close)

/e ae/ -> /E/ (open). Perhaps /a/ before a broad consonant?
E.g. "mensa" -> "meas".

/a a:/ -> /a/ usually, but -> /o/ before original /Cv/

/o au/ -> /O/ (open), but -> /u/ before original /Cv/

/o: u/ -> /o/ (close)

/u/ -> /u/

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