Word evolution game

Conworlds and conlangs
Travis B.
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by Travis B. »

[ˈniɯ̃s]
señśi
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

Breaking of long nasal vowels.



[iˈʈɻɑːχ]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

Separating of retroflex consonants into retroflex-liquid clusters.
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by /ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ »

[ˈniɰ̃s]
señśi
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

unstressed vowels become glides when in contact with another vowel.

---

[iˈtʃɻɑːχ]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

palatalization of consonants adjacent to /i/.
⟨notenderdude⟩

"May all here present witness be!
Alyen of Dúr is bound to me
and from this day all nature hails
the future Keeper of the Scales!"
Travis B.
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by Travis B. »

[ˈniŋs]
señśi
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

[ɰ̃] > [ŋ]



[iˈtʃɻɑwχ]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

[ɑː] > [ɑw]
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by /ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ »

[ˈniŋz]
ningz
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

voice assimilation

--

[iˈtʃɻɒχ]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

[ɑw] > [ɒ]
⟨notenderdude⟩

"May all here present witness be!
Alyen of Dúr is bound to me
and from this day all nature hails
the future Keeper of the Scales!"
Travis B.
Posts: 9857
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2018 8:52 pm

Re: Word evolution game

Post by Travis B. »

[ˈniŋgz]
ningz
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

Stop epenthesis between nasals and fricatives.



[iˈtʃɻʷɒχʷ]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

Labialization before and after rounded vowels and /w/.
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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foxcatdog
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by foxcatdog »

new word
[ˈkʰʲeɾwe]
"a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox"
Travis B.
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by Travis B. »

As I think the existing words have plenty of life left in them, I am retaining them.

[ˈkxʲeɾwe]
"a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox"

Aspirated consonants become affricates.



[ˈniŋgz]
ningz
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’



[iˈtʃɻʷɒχʷ]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by /ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ »

[ˈxʲeɾwe]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

lenition of affricates

---

[ˈniŋg]
ningz
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

simplification of final clusters

---

[iˈtʃʷɒ˞χʷ]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

[ɻʷɒ] > [ʷɒ˞]
⟨notenderdude⟩

"May all here present witness be!
Alyen of Dúr is bound to me
and from this day all nature hails
the future Keeper of the Scales!"
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foxcatdog
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by foxcatdog »

[ˈxʲeʙe]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

*ɾw > ʙ

---

[ˈniŋ]
ningz
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

Further simplification

---

[iˈtʂɒ˞χʷ]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

*tʃʷ > tʂ
Travis B. wrote: Wed Oct 29, 2025 2:41 pm As I think the existing words have plenty of life left in them, I am retaining them.
I mean technically you can go on forever and ever with the same word, i just thought its been three pages with the second one and more than that with the first.
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/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by /ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ »

[ˈçeʙe]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

[xʲ] > [ç]

---

[ˈniŋə]
ningz
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

schwa-insertion after closed word-final syllables

---

[iˈtʂɒ˞ɸ]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

[χʷ] > [ɸ]
foxcatdog wrote: Wed Oct 29, 2025 3:17 pm I mean technically you can go on forever and ever with the same word, i just thought its been three pages with the second one and more than that with the first.
that's fair, though at a certain point words seem to, for lack of a better term, 'run out of juice,' and what I think Travis is saying is that they've still got a fair amount of juice left in them, to which I agree.
⟨notenderdude⟩

"May all here present witness be!
Alyen of Dúr is bound to me
and from this day all nature hails
the future Keeper of the Scales!"
Travis B.
Posts: 9857
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2018 8:52 pm

Re: Word evolution game

Post by Travis B. »

[ˈçeβe]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

[ʙ] > [β]



[ˈniːŋə]
ningz
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

Lengthening of vowels in stressed open syllables.



[iˈtʂɒ˞f]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

[˞ɸ] > [f]
/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: Wed Oct 29, 2025 3:25 pm
foxcatdog wrote: Wed Oct 29, 2025 3:17 pm I mean technically you can go on forever and ever with the same word, i just thought its been three pages with the second one and more than that with the first.
that's fair, though at a certain point words seem to, for lack of a better term, 'run out of juice,' and what I think Travis is saying is that they've still got a fair amount of juice left in them, to which I agree.
My criterion is when words get reduced to single CV syllables it might be a time to change, but before that point, if they can be kept alive (e.g. favoring sound changes that add segments or lengthen vowels or change vowels to diphthongs) they should be.
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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foxcatdog
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by foxcatdog »

[ˈçe:]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

Loss of intervocalic voiced obstruents



[ˈniːgʟə]
nilga
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

*ŋ > *gʟ



[ˈtʂɒ˞f]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

Initial unstressed vowels lost
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foxcatdog
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by foxcatdog »

Travis B. wrote: Wed Oct 29, 2025 3:33 pm My criterion is when words get reduced to single CV syllables it might be a time to change, but before that point, if they can be kept alive (e.g. favoring sound changes that add segments or lengthen vowels or change vowels to diphthongs) they should be.
You can change CV syllables it just forces different kinds of sound changes.
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foxcatdog
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by foxcatdog »

foxcatdog wrote: Wed Oct 29, 2025 4:06 pm
Travis B. wrote: Wed Oct 29, 2025 3:33 pm My criterion is when words get reduced to single CV syllables it might be a time to change, but before that point, if they can be kept alive (e.g. favoring sound changes that add segments or lengthen vowels or change vowels to diphthongs) they should be.
You can change CV syllables it just forces different kinds of sound changes.
Also it kinda forces an endpoint which many languages don't go through although with the amount of sound changes these words go through you are simulating the change from proto out of africa to modern english
Travis B.
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by Travis B. »

Please don't try to destroy words (emphasis, words) on purpose...

[ˈçe:j]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

Ejection of offglides after long vowels.



[ˈniːgʷwə]
nilga
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

[gʟ] > [gʷw]



[ˈtʂɒ˞fə]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

Epenthesis of schwas after final consonants.
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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foxcatdog
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by foxcatdog »

[ˈçjø:]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

Nordicisation



[ˈniːbjə]
nilga
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

[gʷw] > [bj]



[ˈtʂɒvə]
iṭṭaḫ
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

[f] > [v] in between vowels
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/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by /ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ »

[ˈçjoe̯]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

breaking of long vowels

---

[ˈniːbe]
nilga
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

diphthong chain shift

---

[ˈʈiʂɒvə]

i-epenthesis to break up affricates

---
foxcatdog wrote: Wed Oct 29, 2025 4:09 pm Also it kinda forces an endpoint which many languages don't go through although with the amount of sound changes these words go through you are simulating the change from proto out of africa to modern english
that it does, but notice that this is the word evolution game. if you're looking to realistically judge the evolution of a word over time, I suggest the Sound Change Quickie Thread.
⟨notenderdude⟩

"May all here present witness be!
Alyen of Dúr is bound to me
and from this day all nature hails
the future Keeper of the Scales!"
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foxcatdog
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Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2019 7:49 pm

Re: Word evolution game

Post by foxcatdog »

[ˈçoe̯]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

Loss of glides

---

[ˈnaibe]
nilga
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

Long vowel chain shift before voiced consonants

---

[ˈiʂɒvə]

Arrenteisation

---
Travis B.
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by Travis B. »

[ˈçʷoe̯]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

Labialization of consonants before rounded vowels



[ˈnaibːe]
nilga
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

Gemination after offglides.



[ˈiʂɒwvə]

[ɒ] > [ɒw]
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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foxcatdog
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Re: Word evolution game

Post by foxcatdog »

[ˈðᶣoe̯]
'a type of domestic marsupial resembling a fox'

*çʷ > ðᶣ



[ˈnaipe]
nilga
‘grounds, plot of land; habitat, native environs; country’

*b: > *p



[iʂɒwˈvə]
‘swordfight, duel, trial by sword; rivalry, debate’

Stress shifts from the initial to final syllable
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