Re: /S/ and /tS/ in natlangs and conlangs, and unabridged names

[Padraic Brown <pbrown@POLARIS.UMUC.EDU>]

On Thu, 9 Jul 1998, Steg Belsky wrote:

>
> So sometimes it's pronounced as a normal "n" sound attached to the
> beginning of the word, and other times it's just making the vowel of the
> article become nasal?

Yes; it just can't reliably be predicted.

>
> >Final -s never mutates in Kernu.  Initial s- can take an "orthographic
> >aspiration"; but the pronunciation of the mutated and the unmutated
> >"s"
> >are the same, [s].  In 'ys saliont' (they m. leave) and 'sa shaliont'
> >(they f.  leave); the verb in both is pronounced with an [s], even
> >though
> >'sh' is technically a mutation.  This is done simply to show that a
> >mutation occurs in this environment.  Many other sounds show these
> >"orthographic mutations" as well.
>
> What's the reason for this mutation?  The conjugation of the verb?

Do you mean "Why the 'orhtographic mutations'?" or "Why saliont vs.
shaliont?"

The former are simply 'place markers'.  For whatever reason, when people
started differentiating the mutations in writting, it became thought of as
necessary to make note of all mutations, whether pronounced or not.

[Consonants have five "states", four of which are mutations, the remaining
is the unmutated.  Anciently, a distinction was made between "mutate" and
"unmutate".  The reader simply had to know which mutation to apply to any
particular situation.  In those days, all mutations were indicated with a
doubled consonant.  As time has progressed, the various mutaions have
aqcuired different "looks": aspirates all have 'h' as the sign of
mutation; nasals all have 'n' or 'm'; hardened and softened consonants are
odd in not being too uniform.  Hardened consonants are usually doubled;
softened usually have 'h' as the sign of mutation.]

The latter is because "feminine personal pronouns cause mutation".  In the
singular, the verb is softened (sa zal); in the plural, the verb is
aspirated (sa shaliont).

Of course, there are numerous other places where mutations can occur, and
for other reasons, I just happened to pick this as an example.

[snipage of a neat naming system]

I like their naming system.  It packs a lot of information into a
(relatively!) small area.

>
> -Tzvi (Steg)
>
Padraic.