Biskainish is spoken in the Kingdom of Baskain, which is located in southern Florida. This is a conlang for a future timeline based on a post-apocalyptic America that has regressed to feudal levels of technology. Biskainish is currently spoken in the early 4th millenium, and is a descendant of American English.
Phonology
Nasals: /m n ɲ ŋ/ - <m n ñ ng>
Plosives: /p b t d k g/ - <p b t d k g>
Affricates: /t͡ʃ d͡ʒ/ - <ch dj>
Fricatives: /f v s z ʃ ʒ x h ɦ/ - <f v s z sh j h ḥ>
Rhotics: /r/ - <r>
Approximants: /l ʎ j w/ - <l ly y w>
Vowels: /i ɨ u e o ɛ ɐ ɔ a/ - <i ụ u e o ẹ ȧ ọ a>
Diphthongs: /uɪ eɪ oɪ aɪ iʊ eʊ oʊ aʊ/ - <ui ei oi ai iu eu ou au>
Allophones
- The phonemes /b d g/ are pronounced as [β ð ɣ] between vowels. An example is tagyẹdaḥ "together", which is pronounced [tə.ɡjɛ.ðəː].
- Combinations of /bN̩ dN̩ gN̩/ become /m̩ n̩ ŋ̩/. An example is the verb argeibn "I'd given", which is pronounced [aɾ.gej.m̩].
- The vowel /a/ is pronounced as [ə] when unstressed. An example is plata "silver", which is pronounced [pla.tə].
- The vowels /i ɨ u e o ɛ ɔ/ are pronounced as [i ɨ ʊ ɨ ʊ ɨ ʊ] when unstressed. An example is ẹhlavọ "slave", which is pronounced [ɨ.hla.vʊ].
- Sequences of /Vɦ/ become [Vː] when in coda position or before consonants. An example is tagyẹdaḥ "together", which is pronounced [tə.ɡjɛ.ðəː].
- Sequences of /rs/ become /t͡s/ in coda position. An example is the plural of keir "kid", which is pronounced [keɪt͡s], and the plural of mẹyar "mayor", which is pronounced [mɛ.jat͡s].
Sound Changes
1950 CE to 2020 CE
Note: This list of sound changes does not include the cot-caught merger, which is very commonplace in South Florida.
Development of Stressed Vowels
/V Vɪ Vʊ/ > /Vː Vːɪ Vːʊ/ | only when occurring in the same syllable/before the consonants /m n ŋ b d g d͡ʒ v ð z ʒ/
/Vː Vːɪ Vːʊ/ > /V Vɪ Vʊ/ | unstressed
/V Vɪ Vʊ/ > /Vː Vːɪ Vːʊ/ | in stressed, open syllables
/aj aw/ > /ɑj æw/
Development of Unstressed Vowels
/ə/ > /ə̆/ | unstressed
/ɚː/ > /ɚ/ | after vowels
/ɚ ɚː/ > /ɹ̩/
/əm ən əl əɹ/ > /m̩ n̩ ɫ̩ ɹ̩/ | not before vowels
/VɪN̩ VʊN̩ VɪR̩ VʊR̩/ > /VjN̩ VwN̩ VjR̩ VwR̩/
/əː/ > /ʌː/
Development of Plosives
/Vt/ > /Vt̚/ | _#
/t d/ > /ɾ/ | V_V
/nd ld/ > /n l/ | _#
/ɹd/ > /ɹɾ/
/dɹ/ > /ɾɹ/ | unstressed
/d/ > /ɾ/ | _#
Development of Velarized /l/
/l/ > /ɫ/ | after central vowels, back vowels, and the vowel /ɪ(ː)/
Development of Unstressed Vowels
/ə̆/ > /Ø/ | unstressed intertonic syllables
/ʌ/ > /ɜ/
/ə̆/ > /ə/
/ɪ/ > /ə/ | unstressed
/aʊ/ > /ɑw~ɑ/ | unstressed
Development of Syllabic Consonants and Other Approximants
/ld ɫd/ > /l ɫ/ | _#
/ɫ̩/ > /o/
/əl əɫ/ > /o/
Development of Coda Consonants
/t̚/ > /ʔ/ > /h/ | unstressed
/t̚/ > /t/
/nd/ > /n/ | _#
Other Vowel Changes
/Vː/ > /V/
/æ/ > /eə/ | before nasals
/aʊ/ > /æʊ/
/eɪ/ > /ɛɪ/
/ɪ ʊ/ > /e ɨ/
/ɑ/ > /a/
Development of Nasals and Approximants
/nl/ > /nɾ/
Development of Plosives
/p t k/ > /pʰ tʰ kʰ/ | stressed
/pʰ tʰ kʰ/ > /pp tt kk/ | V_V
/b d g/ > /β ð ɣ/ > /v ð ɦ/ | V_V
/pʰ tʰ kʰ/ never became phonemic, only remaining as allophones in Biskainish
/ŋ/ > /g/ | unstressed
/v/ > /b/ | _#
Development of Fricatives and Other Consonants
/θ ð/ > /t d/ (this applies to instances of /θ ð/ that were inherited from Modern English)
/ɹ/ > /r/ | in consonant clusters
/ɾ/ > /r/
/ɹ/ > /ɦ/
Development of Long Vowels
/V/ > /Vː/ | _G# (G = voiced nasal, plosive, or fricative)
/æː/ > /eə/
/æːʊ/ > /ɛːʊ/ > /jɛʊ/
/iː ɨː uː/ > /iɪ ɨɵ ʉɵ/
/eː əː oː/ > /eɛ ə oɔ/
/ɛː ɜː ɔː/ > /jɛ ɜa wɔ/
/aː/ > /aə/
/oːɪ aːɪ/ > /o.ɛ a.ɛ/
/ɛːɪ oːʊ/ > /iɪ uʊ/
/ɨɵ ʉɵ/ > /ɨ.a ʉɵ/
/aə/ > /aa/ | stressed
/aə/ > /a/
/ea/ > /ja/
Development of Vowels
/æʊ/ > /ɛʊ/
/æ/ > /jæ/ | stressed
/æ/ > /a/
/iɪ ɛɪ uʊ ɛʊ/ > /əɪ eɪ əʊ eʊ/
/ʉɵ/ > /ʉw/ > /ɨʊ/
/ɜ/ > /ɐ/
/ɜa aa/ > /ɐa/ > /ɐɦa/
/oɪ aɪ/ > /uɪ oɪ/
/əɪ əʊ/ > /aɪ aʊ/
/ɨʊ/ > /iʊ/
Development of Unstressed/Syllabic Vowels and Velarized /l/
/ɫ/ > /o/ | V_
/ɫ/ > /w/
/m̩ n̩ ɹ̩/ > /əm ən əɹ/
/ə/ > /a/
Development of Former Velarized /l/
/eɛo oɔo/ > /eɦɛo oɦɔo/ > /eɦo oɦo/
/eɛ oɔ/ > /eɪ oʊ/
/ɨʊo/ > /ɨwo/
/ɨʊw/ > /ɨww/ | _V
/io ɨo uo eo oo ɛo ɐo ɔo ao/ > /iɦo ɨɦo uɦo eɦo oʊ ɛɦo ɐɦo oʊ aɦo/ | stressed
/io ɨo uo eo oo ɛo ɐo ɔo ao/ > /iʊ iʊ u.o eʊ oʊ ɛ.o a.o oʊ a.o/
/uɪo eɪo oɪo aɪo iʊo eʊo oʊo aʊo/ > /ujo ejo ojo ajo iwo ewo owo awo/
/iw ɨw uw ew ow ɛw ɐw ɔw aw/ > /iʊ iʊ u eʊ oʊ eʊ aʊ oʊ aʊ/ | _[C#]
/uɪw eɪw oɪw aɪw iʊw eʊw oʊw aʊw/ > /uju eju oju aju iʊ eʊ oʊ aʊ/ | _[C#]
/iʊw eʊw oʊw aʊw/ > /iww eww oww aww/ | _V
Development of Palatal Consonants
/mj nj/ > /ɲ/
/lj/ > /ʎ/
/CVɦC/ > /CɦVC~CVCɦ/ | _V
/CVɦC/ > /CɦVC/
/ɦCV/ > /CɦV/
/mp mb nt nd nk~ŋk ng~ŋg/ > /mb m nd n ŋ ŋ/ | _#
/mp mb nt nd nk~ŋk ng~ŋg/ > /mb mm nd nn ŋg ŋg~gg/
/nr mr/ > /ndr mbr/
Here is an example sentence inspired by JBR's
Futurese:
Wi keirs wiḥbeiginyu, ticha, dah efyuotichas tụtok krek, bikaz wiḥbin eignaḥan yan wiḥtokin kaḥap...
/wi ˈkeɪrs wiɦ.ˈbeɪ.gin.ju ˈti.t͡ʃa dah ef.ˈju.o.ti.t͡ʃas tɨ.ˈtok krek bi.ˈkaz wiɦ.bin ˈeɪg.na.ɦan jan wiɦ.ˈto.kin ka.ˈɦap/
[wi ˈkeɪt͡s wiː.ˈbeɪ.gin.jʊ ˈti.t͡ʃa dah ef.ˈju.o.ti.t͡ʃas tɨ.ˈtok kɾek bi.ˈkaz wiː.bin ˈeɪg.na.ɦan jan wiː.ˈto.kin ka.ˈɦap]
1P.NOM child-PLU 1P.PRES.PROG-beg-PRES.PROG-2S.OBL, teacher, REL COND-2S.FUT.PROG-teach-1P.OBL INF-speak correct, because be.1P.PRES.PROG ignorant and 1P.PRES.PROG-speak-PRES.PROG corrupt
We children beg you, teacher, that you should teach us to speak correctly, because we are ignorant and we speak corruptly…
Tomorrow, I will write an explanation of the grammar when I get the chance.
