Lenani-Littoral diachrony

[Ares Land]

Hi Mark,

I've been meaning to ask this question for a long time... but never got around to it.
How did you build the triliteral system for Lenani-Littoral? Did you use the same process as the one you described in the Lexipedia?

I'd be interested in the sound changes too, though I understand that these may be left as an exercise for the reader

[bradrn]

For this discussion, I’m thinking it may be useful to copy over some reconstructed Proto-Southern words from the old board:

Code: Select all

(51) "below/under" = OS men- / Wd ben   *men / *mjeŋ   
(64) "2pl" = OS -beş- / Wd -we   *bes   / * -pje
(38) "west" = OS boḍ / Wd wor   *boD    / *pjoc
(8) "hair" = OS bol- / Wd po:   *pol   / * pulo
(20) ?"sit" = OS barḍ- / Wd waŋu   *barDu / *pjaγ
(55) "seed" = OS ḍad / Wd rada   *Dada / *cata
(16) ?"die/kill" = OS keşg- / Wd koku   *keSku / *kosk-
(13) "bite" = OS gim- / Wd kimu   *kimu / *kim-
(70) “fir” = OS migas / Wd bika   *mikas / * mika
(40) "sister" = OS meld- / Wd beda   *melda / * mjeta
"~beget" OS besp / Wd papa   *paspa / not cognate, I think
(29) "lake" = OS dit / Wd śi    *tit / *tji
(14) "laugh" = OS sand- / Wd źe:ti *santi / *sant-
(18) ?"hit" = OS serḍ- / Wd śoŋu   *serDu / *sjoγ-

(Note: first starred word in each line is Ars Lande’s reconstruction, second is zompist’s.)

And a long list of (possible) cognates:

More: show

So, let's summarize what has been done so far:

(1) "who/what" = OS -beg- / Wd -bogu-
(2) "other" = OS -gog / Wd jok
(3) "long" = OS -dim / Wd śim
(4) ??"small" = OS -its / Wd śiya / Tz -it
(5) "woman/nurture" = OS maşḍ / Wd ma:r
(6) "fish" = OS ţag / Wd sak(ana)
(7) "forest" = OS geŋ / Wd jen
(8) "hair" = OS bol- / Wd po:
(9) "head" = OS ?um- / Wd yuma
(10) "nose/smell" = OS sig- / Wd źuko
(11) "foot" = OS gan / Wd keŋ
(12) ?"eat" = OS ŋels- / Wd go:źi
(13) "bite" = OS gim- / Wd kimu
(14) "laugh" = OS sand- / Wd źe:ti
(15) ??"see" = OS ḍişn- / Wd liu
(16) ?"die/kill" = OS keşg- / Wd koku
(17) ?"hunt" = OS nesd- / Wd ŋo:du
(18) ?"hit" = OS serḍ- / Wd śoŋu
(19) "lie down" = OS ŋeḍ- / Wd neru
(20) ?"sit" = OS barḍ- / Wd waŋu
(21) "turn" = OS miḍ- / Wd muri
(22) ?"fall" = OS targ- / Wd źeku
(23) "count" = OS merg- / Wd boyok- [NO]
(24) "say/speak" = OS neln- / Wd yonu
(25) ?"sing" = OS riŋ- / Wd ŋinu
(26) "star" = OS maḍaŋ / Wd ma:in
(27) ??"water" = OS les- / Wd lu:
(28) "river" = OS ḍel / Wd ye / Tz jal
(29) "lake" = OS dit / Wd śi
(30) ??"wind" = OS ḍegl- / Wd do:
(31) ?"burn/fire" = OS rel- / Wd ŋol-
(32) "night" = OS selg- / Wd seki
(33) ?"year" = OS past- / Wd wata
(34) "rotten/bad" = OS ḍer- / Wd yur
(35) "south" = OS ţar / Wd saŋ
(36) ?"north" = OS ḍan / Wd lun
(37) "east" = OS kom / Wd ju
(38) "west" = OS boḍ / Wd wor
(39) "brother" = OS ḍed- / Wd roda
(40) "sister" = OS meld- / Wd beda
(41) "hemp" = OS naşgu / Wd naka
(42) "rule/inherit" = OS baţş- / Wd paźiwa "king"
(43) "branch/arm" = OS daļg- / Wd te:
(44) "deer" = OS mulg- / Wd buka
(45) "beard" = OS ŋarḍ / Wd ge:ŋ
(46) ??"inside" = OS ḍadŋ- / Wd ra
(47) ?"cat" = OS kuļiŋ "mountain lion" / Wd jo:na
(48) "here/this" = OS luļ / Wd lil
(49) "before" = OS mur- / Wd bu
(50) "upward/above" = OS dem- / Wd śen
(51) "below/under" = OS men- / Wd ben
(52) "middle" = OS saln- / Wd sai
(53) "each/every" = OS -doļ / Wd to:l
(54) "big" = OS riḍ- / Wd ŋor / Tz -luj
(55) "seed" = OS ḍad / Wd rada
(56) "one" = OS moţ / Wd bo / Tz mo
(57) "two" = OS ḍog / Wd yok / Tz ñok
(58) "three" = OS ded / Wd śir / Tz dej
(59) "four" = OS darţ / Wd tause
(60) "five" = OS bim / Wd pina
(61) "1sg" = OS -ŋ(o)- / Wd -no
(62) "1pl" = OS -dor- / Wd -tu
(63) "2sg" = OS -g(o)- / Wd -ku
(64) "2pl" = OS -beş- / Wd -we
(65) “bird” = OS nals / Wd na:i
(66) “blue” = OS toş / Wd tok
(67) “wheat” = OS maki / Wd mai / Tz mahi
(68) “young” = OS -mol / Wd mo:mo
(69) “grass” = OS misn / Wd biźi
(70) “fir” = OS migas / Wd bika
(71) “moment” = OS ḍira / Wd jiro
(72) “old” = OS ḍesp- / Wd tik
(73) ?“city” = OS eŋ / Tz im
(74) “person” = OS mand / Wd bogu / Tz man
(75) "body, flesh" = OS med / Wd beśa

[zompist]

That Lexipedia bit was written long after Old Skourene. Lenani-Littoral isn't intended to be a Semitic clone; it steals the idea of triliteral roots but not the way they work in Semitic.

The perhaps disappointing truth about a one-person project involving dozens of languages: ya gotta know how to fake it. I actually talk about this in the print LCK, using Proto-Western as an example. I used the same method for Lenani-Littoral. In essence, I tried do the consonants in a consistent way but didn't create sets of sound changes for the main languages.

I would love to go back to Tžuro someday and fix it up. And yes, skimping on the sound changes early will make it more challenging to fill in details later.

[Kuchigakatai]

It's not like you got to know how to fake it, but it helps a lot to cut down on effort time...