Jamastulu: Difference between revisions

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--[[User:Kurasmanja|Kurasmanja]] 14:29, 22 Nov 2004 (PST)
<center>'''Question:''' What do you get when you take phonetic features from Georgian and Czech and mix them with a phonology based on Finnish?<br>


Question: What do you get when you take phonetic features from Georgian and Czech and mix them with a phonology based on Finnish?
'''Answer:''' Jamastulu.</center>


Answer: Jamastulu.
'''Jamastulu''' is the brainchild of Rob Hoelz, and is being created for an RPG to give one its [[conculture|cultures]] a more realistic feel.  (And also to confuse the gamer!)  It has an as-of-yet unnamed sister language, and both languages are descended from a conlang known as Proto-Jama until a better name is created.  Rob is currently fleshing out the grammar of Proto-Jama and has already planned a great deal of sound changes to transform it into Jamastulu, and one of the other collaborators on the project is working to create the sister language.


Jamastulu is the brainchild of Rob Hoelz, and is being created for an RPG to give one its cultures a more realistic feel.  (And also to confuse the gamer!)  It has an as-of-yet unnamed sister language, and both languages are descended from a conlang known as Proto-Jama until a better name is created.  Rob is currently fleshing out the grammar of Proto-Jama and has already planned a great deal of sound changes to transform it into Jamastulu, and one of the other collaborators on the project is working to create the sister language.
==Facts about Jamastulu==
 
Facts about Jamastulu:


- Jamastulu is literally translated as "Tongue of the Desert."
- Jamastulu is literally translated as "Tongue of the Desert."
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[[Category:Conlangs]]
[[Category:Conlangs]]
[[Category: a posteriori conlangs]]

Latest revision as of 17:29, 28 October 2011

Question: What do you get when you take phonetic features from Georgian and Czech and mix them with a phonology based on Finnish?
Answer: Jamastulu.

Jamastulu is the brainchild of Rob Hoelz, and is being created for an RPG to give one its cultures a more realistic feel. (And also to confuse the gamer!) It has an as-of-yet unnamed sister language, and both languages are descended from a conlang known as Proto-Jama until a better name is created. Rob is currently fleshing out the grammar of Proto-Jama and has already planned a great deal of sound changes to transform it into Jamastulu, and one of the other collaborators on the project is working to create the sister language.

Facts about Jamastulu

- Jamastulu is literally translated as "Tongue of the Desert."

- It is spoken by the Jamaskura (Shadows of the Desert).

- It has three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and around eight cases (currently being worked on), but suprisingly barely distinguishes number.

- In spite of its somewhat complicated noun system, its verbs are relatively simple, not inflecting for person or number.

Phonology

The phonemes of Jamastulu are given with their transliteration and the X-SAMPA equivalent in brackets on the right.

Consonants

Labial Labiodental Dental Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Velar
Plosives p[p], pp[p_>] - t[t], tt[t_>] - - tj[c], ttj[c_>] k[k], kk[k_>]
Nasals m[m] - n[n] - - nj[J] -
Taps - - - r[4] - - -
Trills - - - rr[r] - - -
Fricatives - v[v] - ss[s], zz[z] s[S], z[Z] sj[C], zj[j\] -
Approximants - - - l[l] - j[j] -

The following sounds are pronounced approximately as in English: p, t, k, m, n, v, l

Other sounds: tj, nj, sj, zj: Palatal versions of their dental/alveolar counter parts.

pp, tt, ttj, kk: Glottalized versions of their voiceless aspirated equivalents.

r, rr: Pronounced as Spanish r and rr respectively. (Tapped and trilled r)

ss, zz: Pronounced as English s an z respectively.

s: Pronounced as English sh.

z: Pronounced as s in the English word measure.

j: Pronounced as English y in yes.

Vowels

The vowels are very similar if not identical to those of Finnish:

a - as a in father

e - as ay in day (only a pure vowel, not a diphthong)

i - as ee in feet

o - as oa in moat (also a pure vowel)

u - as oo in food

y - no equivalent in English, as ü in German über. (If you don't know how that sounds, round your lips while pronouncing Jamastulu i.)

ö - no equivalent in English, as ö in German schön. (If you don't know how that sounds, round your lips while pronouncing Jamastulu e.)

ä - similar to e in bed.

Word structure

Jamastulu prefers open syllables, and each word (other than compounds) is usually no longer than two syllables in length. A Jamastulu word typically has the following structure:

(C)V(V)(C)(C)(ss, r)V(V)(ss, r, or N)

where C is a consonant, V is a vowel, and nasal is one of the nasals.

NOTE: Words cannot end in dipthongs.

Consonant clusters

Consonant clusters can only occur in the middle of a word in Jamastulu, and only the following are allowed:

N + S (where the two are at the same place of articulation)

N + r

N + ss

S + r

S + ss (except for tss)

N + S + ss

N + S + r

where S is a stop and N is a nasal.

Diphthongs

Diphthongs can occur anywhere in the word other than the final position. The diphthongs of Jamastulu are the following:

ai au oi

ou ui uo

ua ue yi

Related articles

Proto-Jama