Stilio/Phonology: Difference between revisions

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Snakes have vastly simplified mouths compared to human-being.  We are capable of making every sound they make, though some are easier than others.  Snakes have no lips. Their palate is occupied with the vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's organ), which acts as a sense of smell.  Snakes have no uvula.  Their glottis can move aside when eating large prey.  They have no epiglottal region.
Snakes have vastly simplified mouths compared to human-being.  We are capable of making every sound they make, though some are easier than others.  Snakes have no lips. Their soft-palate is occupied with the vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's organ), which acts as a sense of smell.  Snakes have no uvula.  Their glottis can move aside when eating large prey.  They have no epiglottal region.


Sentient and non-sentient snakes hiss their entire volume of air without interruption, so a Parseltongue utterances cannot be longer than about fifteen seconds.  Stops are typically initial, and in a verb.  Whatever vocal-cords they are graced with by magic, snakes cannot speak very loudly or vary pitch beyond very low frequencies.  Humans speaking above a whisper, voicing consonants and vowels, are something like "shouting barbarians" to the snakes we were allowed to interview.
Sentient and non-sentient snakes hiss their entire volume of air without interruption, so a Parseltongue utterances cannot be longer than about fifteen seconds.  Stops are typically initial, and in a verb.  Whatever vocal-cords they are graced with by magic, snakes cannot speak very loudly or vary pitch beyond very low frequencies.  Humans speaking above a whisper, voicing consonants and vowels, are something like "shouting barbarians" to the snakes we were allowed to interview.
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Given snake anatomy, even with the aide of magic, Parseltongue
Given snake anatomy, even with the aide of magic, Parseltongue
* has no labial consonants
* has no labial consonants
* has no retroflex consonants
* has no palatal or alveolar-palatal consonants  
* has no palatal or alveolar-palatal consonants
** except the lowered approximant /j̞̊/, a light, whispered 'y'
* has no uvular or epiglottal consonants
* has no uvular or epiglottal consonants
* has no voiced consonants
* has no voiced consonants
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* has no corarticulated consonants
* has no corarticulated consonants
* has clicks
* has clicks
* allows all affricates (though typically only utterance initial or final)
* allows all affricates
* must end an utterance with a sibilant/fricative or - much less commonly - a vowel
* prefer to end an utterance with a sibilant/fricative or a vowel
* has ejective forms of the stops and affricates
* has ejective forms of the stops and affricates
* ingressive sounds are possible


There are two non-phonemic sounds that snakes are readily capable of making, the trilled 'r' and the glottal stop.  However, /r/ is a highly erotic sound which no snake would make in polite company, and stopping the flow of air during an utterance is generally indicative of sickness or eating.
There is a non-phonemic sounds that snakes are readily capable of making, the trilled 'r'.  However, /r/ is a highly erotic sound which no snake would make in polite company!
 
Non-parselmouths should take care not to "round" any consonants or vowels when speaking to a sentient snake.  Snakes have no lips, so this can render one's speech unintelligible.  English speakers should take greatest care with words beginning with 'r' or any 'sh' sound.


== Consonants ==
== Consonants ==
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! rowspan="2" | Dental  
! rowspan="2" | Dental  
! colspan="2" | Alveolar  
! colspan="2" | Alveolar  
! rowspan="2" | Post-alveolar
! rowspan="2" | <small>Retro-<br/>flex</small>
! colspan="2" | Velar
! Velar
! rowspan="2" | Pharyngeal
! rowspan="2" | <small>Pharyngeal</small>
! rowspan="2" | Glottal
! rowspan="2" | Glottal
|- style="vertical-align: center; font-size: x-small;"
|- style="vertical-align: center; font-size: x-small;"
| || Central || Lateral || Central || Lateral
| || Central || Lateral  
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Nasal || || {{IPA|n̥}} || || || {{IPA|ŋ̊}}
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Nasal || {{IPA|n̪̊}} || {{IPA|n̥}} || || || {{IPA|ŋ̊}}
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || || '''n''' || || || '''ñ'''
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''m''' || '''n''' || || || '''ñ'''
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Unaspirated Stop || || t || || || k ||
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Unaspirated Stop || {{IPA|t̪}} || t || || || k || || {{IPA|ʔ}}
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || || '''d''' || || || '''g''' ||
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''b''' || '''d''' || || || '''g''' || || ''' ' '''
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Ejective Stop || || t' || || || k' ||
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Aspirated Stop || {{IPA|t̪ʰ}} || || || || || || {{IPA|ʔʰ}}
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || || '''t''' || || || '''k''' ||
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''bh''' || '''dh''' || || || '''gh''' || || ''' 'h '''
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Click/Tap || {{IPA|ǀ}} || {{IPA|ǃ}} || {{IPA|ǁ}} || {{IPA|ɾ}}
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Ejective Stop || {{IPA|t̪ʼ}} || t' || || || k' ||
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''¡''' || '''!'''|| '''¿''' || '''ř'''
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''p''' || '''t''' || || || '''k''' ||
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Fricative || {{IPA|θ}} || s || {{IPA|ɬ}} || {{IPA|ʃ}} || x || {{IPA|ʟ̝̊}}
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Click || {{IPA|ǀ}} || {{IPA|ǃ}} || {{IPA|ǁ}}
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''þ''' || '''s''' || '''ł''' || '''š''' || '''x''' ||
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''bq''' || '''dq'''|| '''zq'''
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Approximant || {{IPA|}} || {{IPA|ɹ}} || {{IPA|}} || || {{IPA|ɰ}} || {{IPA|ɫ̥}} || {{IPA|ħ}} || h
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Fricative || {{IPA|θ}} || s || {{IPA|ɬ}} || {{IPA|ʃ}}~{{IPA|ʂ}} || x ||  
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| ||  || '''r''' || '''l''' || || '''w''' ||  || '''ħ''' || '''h'''
|}
 
Most English speakers round their lips anyway when saying word-initial /r/, and any /ʃ/, which snakes regard as quite irritating.  For those unfamiliar with the sound /ɰ/, pronounce a 'w' but leave off the lip-rounding.  The dental click ('''¡''') is used in the English "tsk tsk tsk", while the lateral click ('''¿''') is used to spur on a horse.  The (post) alveolar click ('''!''') is made by placing the tongue at the top of the mouth and then letting it slap down.  The African version of this click - where the mouth produces an overly loud, hollow sound - should be avoided.  The alveolar tap ('''ř''') is found in the 'r' and 'l' of East Asian languages, or the 'd'-like sound in the middle of 'water'.  The lateral fricative ('''ł''') is found in Welsh but may be very unfamiliar to English-speakers elsewhere.  The pharyngeal approximant ('''ħ''') is a very raspy 'h', produced as far down the throat as possible.
 
A history of Latin alphabet orthography has given rise to the system as presented in the tables.  Some consonants are exactly the same as IPA notation: '''x s l ħ h'''.  Others require some thought: '''n''' for /n̥/, '''ñ''' for /ŋ̊/, '''d''' for an unaspirated /t/, '''t''' for /t'/, '''g''' for unaspirated /k/, '''k''' for /k'/, '''þ''' for /θ/, '''š''' for /ʃ/ (like Czech), '''ł''' for /ɬ/, '''r''' for /ɹ/, '''ř''' for /ɾ/, and '''w''' for /ɰ/.  The clicks receive non-letter symbols: '''! ¡ ¿'''.
 
All affricate possibilities are realized in Parseltongue, though most are very rare.  Parseltongue does not distinguish between affricate and non-affricate pairs, so the tie-bar is not commonly written, even in IPA.  The possibilities are: '''dþ ds dš dł gx tþ ts tš tł kx'''.
 
'''h''' can make any preceding letter aspirated.  Care must be taken not to aspirate '''d''' and '''g''' normally.
 
=== Lenition ===
In certain verbal conjugations, internal consonants 'lenite' or soften according to a pattern.  In the table below, lenition proceeds from left to right.  Approximants all lenite to '''h''', as does '''ħ'''.  Loss of gemination is often the first step in lenition.
{| class="wikitable"
! || Tense || Relax || Affic. || Fric. || Liquid || Debucc.
|-
|-
! Dental
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''f''' || '''s''' || '''z''' || '''c''' || '''x''' ||
| '''¡''' || || '''''' || '''þ''' || '''ñ''' || '''ħ'''
|-
|-
! Alveolar
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Affricative || {{IPA|t̪θ}} || ts || {{IPA|tɬ}} || {{IPA|tʃ}}~{{IPA|ʈʂ}} || kx ||  
| '''t''' || '''d''' || '''ds''' || '''s''' || '''r''' || '''ħ'''
|-
|-
! Lateral
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''bf''' || '''ts''' || '''tz''' || '''tc''' || '''ks'''
| '''¿''' || || '''''' || '''ł''' || '''l''' || '''h'''
|-
|-
! Post-Alv.
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Approximant || || {{IPA|ɹ̊}} || {{IPA|l̥}} || {{IPA|j̞̊}}~{{IPA|ɻ̊}} || {{IPA|ɰ̊}} || {{IPA|ħ}} || h
| '''!''' || '''ř''' || '''dš''' || '''š''' || '''n''' || '''h'''
|-
|-
! Velar
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| ||  || '''r''' || '''l''' || '''j''' || '''w''' || '''y''' || '''h'''
| '''k''' || '''g''' || '''gx''' || '''x''' || '''w''' || '''ħ'''
|}
|}
For those unfamiliar with the sound /ɰ/, pronounce a 'w' but leave off the lip-rounding.  The dental click ('''¡''') is used in the English "tsk tsk tsk", while the lateral click ('''¿''') is used to spur on a horse.  The (post) alveolar click ('''!''') is made by placing the tongue at the top of the mouth and then letting it slap down.  The African version of this click - where the mouth produces an overly loud, hollow sound - should be avoided. The lateral fricative ('''ł''') is found in Welsh but may be very unfamiliar to English-speakers elsewhere.  The pharyngeal approximant ('''ħ''') is a very raspy 'h', produced as far down the throat as possible.
Somewhat surprisingly, a small cadre of Estonian wizards and witches who are all Parselmouths has been found in recent times.  They have a traditional way of writing Parseltongue that we have systematized herein.
=== Ingressive ===
There are a small number of ingressive words in Parseltongue, mostly interjections, ideophones and onomatopoeias. There is no special notation for these words: they are either italicized or set off in astericies before and after.
=== Allophony ===
=== Allophony ===
* g/x/k/gx/kx + l > /{{IPA|ɫ}}/
* g/x/k/gx/kx + l > /{{IPA|ɫ̥}}/
* g/x/k/gx/kx + ł > /{{IPA|ʟ̝̊}}/
* g/x/k/gx/kx + ł > /{{IPA|ʟ̝̊}}/
* þ + l > /{{IPA|l̪}}/
* þ + l > /{{IPA|l̪}}/


<br clear="both" />
== Vowels ==
== Vowels ==
{| style="text-align: center; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1pt solid #c0c0c0; float: right;"
{| style="text-align: center; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1pt solid #c0c0c0; float: right;"
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|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''i''' ||  || '''u'''
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''i''' ||  || '''u'''
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Near-high || {{{IPA|ɪ}}} ||  ||
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Near-high || {{{IPA|ɪ}}} ||  || {{IPA|ʊ̜}}
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"|  || '''y''' ||  ||
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"|  || '''ï''' ||  || '''ü'''
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| High-mid || {{IPA|e}} || || {{IPA|ɤ}}
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| High-mid || {{IPA|e}} || || {{IPA|ɤ}}
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|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Low-mid || {{IPA|ɛ}} || || {{IPA|ʌ}}
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Low-mid || {{IPA|ɛ}} || || {{IPA|ʌ}}
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"|  || '''ë''' || || '''ü'''
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"|  || '''ë''' || || '''ö'''
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Near-low || {{IPA|æ}} || {{IPA|ɐ}}
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| Near-low || {{IPA|æ}} || {{IPA|ɐ}}
|-
|-
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''æ''' || '''a'''
|style="text-align: left; font-size: 95%;"| || '''a''' || '''ä'''
|-
|-
|}
|}
The Parseltongue system of vowels consists of nine soundsAs with consonants, '''''there is no lip-rounding'''''Hence, '''u''' means /ɯ/ and '''o''' means /ɤ/.  English-speakers must remember to distinguish between '''i''' and '''y''': '''y''' always functions as it does in the English "myth" or "system", while '''i''' always a "long 'e'".
Like the [[Wikipedia:Niger-Congo language|Niger-Congo family of languages]] in Africa, Parseltongue has a system of five vowels, each of which has a twin with Retracted Tongue Root (RTR)These five vowels can be arranged in a 'V', with /i/ in the top-left.  /e/ is in the middle-left and /a/ at the bottomThe unrounded (because, again, snakes have no lips) versions of /o/ and /u/ are the right-middle and top-right components of the 'V'.  With this pattern in mind, one can see how /i/ and /u/ are "high", while /e/ and /o/ are "mid"/a/ is "low"/i e a/ are "front" and /u o a/ are "back"Notice how, in regards to frontness/backness, /a/ is both.
 
Korean-speakers will have an advantage distinguishing '''e''' from '''ë''' from '''ü''': 에 vs. 애 vs. 어.
 
The presence of diphthongs is disputed (see Phonotactics below).
 
Parseltongue uses most of the letters of the English alphabet, excepting for 'c', 'j', 'm', 'p', 'q', 'v' and 'z' (because 'f' and 'b' mark frontness and backness of underspecified vowels).  Eleven non-ASCII symbols are also needed: ¡, ¿, ř, ë, æ, ü, ë, š, ł, ħ, and þ(! is standard ASCII.) In our notation, gemination is marked with ♊.
 
English speakers should take care to pronounce all the vowels carefully and no rush through unstressed syllablesParseltongue has only one central vowel ('''a'''), which appears comparable to the English central vowel /ə/.  They occur with the same frequency in speech, but care must be taken to not let ''any'' Parseltongue vowel become "reduced".


=== Vowel Harmony ===
=== Vowel Harmony ===
Of the nine vowels of Parseltongue, 6 participate in vowel harmony.  These vowels may be underspecified for frontness/backness or one of three heights.  (There is no rounding in Parseltongue.)  The three independent vowels have an assigned height but typically reduplicate themselves, overriding vowel harmony.  Underspecified prefixes and suffixes are written with '''f/b''' respectively for frontness/backness and '''1'''/'''2'''/'''3''' respectively for height.  Sometimes, '''æ'' and '''y''' count as front while '''a''' counts as back, and sometime as three override vowel harmony and appear everywhere in a conjugation/declension.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
{| class="wikitable"
|
! Indep.
! Front
! Front
! Back
! Back
! Height #
|-
|-
! y
! High
! i
| i
! u
| u
| 1
|-
|-
! æ
! Mid
! e
| e
! o
| o
| 2
|-
|-
! a
! Low
! ë
| colspan="2" | a/ä
! ü
| 3
|}
|}


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A fricative (in the onset or in the nucleus) may be long or short.  A syllabic fricative may be preceded by a stop, and hence, part of an affricate.  It may also be preceded by an approximant or another fricative.  Open syllables, in this case, are common.  A fricative, nasal, or approximant can be analyzed as the coda of a fricative-nucleus syllable.
A fricative (in the onset or in the nucleus) may be long or short.  A syllabic fricative may be preceded by a stop, and hence, part of an affricate.  It may also be preceded by an approximant or another fricative.  Open syllables, in this case, are common.  A fricative, nasal, or approximant can be analyzed as the coda of a fricative-nucleus syllable.


If a vowel is the syllable nucleus, it may be preceded by a tap, click, either nasal, a stop (which may be preceded by a fricative), a fricative, an affricate (which may be preceded by a fricative) or an approximant (which may be preceded by a stop or a fricative).  The coda of a vowel-nucleus syllable may be a nasal (which may be followed by a fricative), a fricative, '''l''' or '''h''', or it may be left open.  Clicks and taps may only follow an open, vowel-nucleus syllable.
If a vowel is the syllable nucleus, it may be preceded by a click, either nasal, a stop (which may be preceded by a fricative), a fricative, an affricate (which may be preceded by a fricative) or an approximant (which may be preceded by a stop or a fricative).  The coda of a vowel-nucleus syllable may be a nasal (which may be followed by a fricative), a fricative, '''l''' or '''h''', or it may be left open.  Clicks and taps may only follow an open, vowel-nucleus syllable.


Aesthetically, snakes find it distasteful to have stops or clicks in the middle of an utterance.  Hence, while it would be possible through appropriate case use to have any word order, verbs almost always come first.
Aesthetically, snakes find it distasteful to have stops or clicks in the middle of an utterance.  Hence, while it would be possible through appropriate case use to have any word order, verbs almost always come first.


Accent is very hard to detect at times in Parseltongue.  It appears that almost all words are emphasized on the first syllable, though pronouns tend to be enclitic.  Unusually stress patterns are marked with an apostrophe herein (i.e. ''' ' ''').
Accent is very hard to detect at times in Parseltongue.  It appears that almost all words are emphasized on the first syllable, though pronouns tend to be enclitic.  Unusually stress patterns are marked with an acute herein (i.e. ''' ´ ''').


[[File:Snake vowel chart.svg|500px|right]]
[[File:Snake vowel chart.svg|500px|right]]
* '''a''' is /a/ as in ''father'' (아)
* '''a''' is /æ/ as in ''Sally''
* '''æ''' is /æ/ as in ''fat'' (전설 비원순 근저모음)
** '''ä''' is /ä/ as in ''father''
* '''b''' is a '''back vowel''' (i.e. '''u''', '''o''', '''ü''', and sometimes '''a''', 후설 모음)
* '''b''' is /t̪/ like the 't' in ''uncouth talk'', said rapidly, with the tongue between the teeth, but without a breath of air
* '''c''' is not used
** '''bh''' is the same as '''b''' but with the exhaled breath
* '''d''' is /t/ as in ''stop'' (note the lack of a puff of air, ㄷ)
** '''bq''' is the dental click, like spurring a horse on
* '''þ''' is /θ/, English 'th' as in ''thin'' never ''they'' (무성 치 마찰음)
* '''c''' is /ʃ/ as in ''shush'' (without lip-rounding)
* '''e''' is /e/ as in ''bet'' ()
* '''d''' is /t/ as in ''star', without a breath of air
* '''ë''' is /ɛ/ as in Scottish ''bet'' (애)
** '''dh''' is the same as '''d''' but with the exhaled breath
* '''f''' is a '''front vowel''' (i.e. '''i''', '''e''', '''ë''', and sometimes '''y''' and '''æ''', 전설 모음)
** '''dq''' is the alveolar click, like children imitating horses trotting
* '''g''' is /k/ as in ''skit'' (note t he lack of a puff of air, ㄱ)
* '''e''' is /e/ as in ''bet'
* '''ħ''' is /ħ/, a raspy and tight 'h' (무성 인두 마찰음)
** '''ë''' is /ɛ/ as in Scottish ''bet'', like the vowel in ''thanks'' said rapidly (no diphthong)
* '''h''' is /h/ as in ''hat'' (ㅎ)
* '''f''' is /θ/ as in ''thin'', never ''they''
* '''i''' is /i/ as in ''beet'' (이)
* '''g''' is /k/ as in "kit", but without a breath of air
* '''j''' is not used
* '''h''' is /h/ as in ''harpie'' (can end a syllable)
* '''k''' is /k'/ as in a 'k' sound when beatboxing (ㅋ)
** also used after '''b''', '''d''', and '''g''' to produce aspirated stops
* '''l''' is /l/ as in ''lamp'', sometimes as in ''pull'' (치경 설측 접근음)
* '''i''' is /i/ as in ''sheet''
* '''ł''' is /ɬ/ as in Welsh ''llwyd'' (무성 치경 설측 마찰음)
** '''ï''' is /ɪ/ as in ''shit''
* '''m''' is not used
* '''j''' is /j/ as in "yes" (without the tongue actually touching the palate)
* '''n''' is /n/ as in ''nun'', but in a whisper (ㄴ)
* '''ñ''' is /ŋ/ as in ''sing'', but in a whisper (ㅇ)
* '''o''' is /ɤ/ as in ''oil'', but without the lip-rounding (오)
* '''p''' is not used
* '''q''' is not used
* '''r''' is /ɹ/ as in ''furr'' (but not too far back down the throat)
* '''ř''' is /ɾ/ as in the middle consonant of ''water'' (ㄹ)
* '''s''' is /s/ as in ''sass'' ()
* '''š''' is /ʃ/, English 'sh' as in ''shush''
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|
|
N=<br />
N=nmñ<br />
C=gdkt<br />
C=bgdkt<br />
T=ř¡¿!<br />
T=q<br />
S=sšxþł<br />
S=szxfc<br />
R=rlħhw<br />
R=rljħhwy<br />
V=aieyëæouü<br />
V=aäeëiïoöuü<br />
|
|
(.)q|$1$1
(.)q|$1$1
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SS<br />
SS<br />
|-
|-
| colspan="2" | [http://zompist.com/gen http://zompist.com/gen]
| colspan="3" | [http://zompist.com/gen http://zompist.com/gen]
|}
|}
* '''t''' is /t'/ as in a 't' sound when beatboxing (ㅌ)
 
* '''u''' is /ɯ/ as in ''suit'', but without the lip-rounding ()
* '''k''' is /k'/ as in beatboxing 'k'
* '''ü''' is /ʌ/ as in ''aw'', but without the lip-rounding (어)
* '''l''' is /l/ as in ''lull'', but can also be velarized, or dental
* '''m''' is the dental /n/ as in ''tenth''
* '''n''' is /n̥/ as in ''nun'' whispered
** '''ñ''' is /ŋ̊/ as in ''sung'' whispered (can begin a syllable)
* '''o''' is /ɤ/ like 'foe' without the lip rounding (not a diphthong, like Spanish)
** '''ö''' is /ʌ/ like an English ''cot'' without lip rounding
* '''p''' is /t̪ʼ/, an ejective dental t, as in beatboxing
* '''q''' is only used in digraphs to produce clicks after '''b''', '''d''' and '''z'''
* '''r''' is /ɹ̊/ as in ''rut'' whispered (be careful to put the tongue-tip behind the alveolar ridge)
* '''s''' is /s/ as in ''sass''
* '''t''' is /t'/, an ejective 't' as in beatboxing
* '''u''' is /ɯ/, an unrounded version of ''shoot''
** '''ū''' is /ʊ̜/, an unrounded version of ''cut''
* '''v''' is not used
* '''v''' is not used
* '''w''' is /ɰ/ as in ''quick'', but without the lip-rounding
* '''w''' is /ɰ̊/, like a whispered 'w' without lip rounding
* '''x''' is /x/ as in ''loch''
* '''x''' is /x/, as in ''loch'' or ''Bach''
* '''y''' is /ɪ/ as in ''bit''
* '''y''' is /ħ/ like a harsh 'h' said low in the throat
* '''z''' is not used
* '''z''' is /ɬ/, like the Welsh 'll'


* '''!''' is /!/ as in imitated horse trotting
* ''' ' ''' is the glottal-stop, like the dash in ''uh-oh''
* '''¡''' is /ǀ/ as in 'tsk tsk'
* '''¿''' is /ǁ/ as in cajoling a horse
* ' means the next syllable gets the accent, not the first.


[[Category:Stilio]]
[[Category:Stilio]]

Revision as of 18:56, 12 March 2013

Snakes have vastly simplified mouths compared to human-being. We are capable of making every sound they make, though some are easier than others. Snakes have no lips. Their soft-palate is occupied with the vomeronasal organ (Jacobson's organ), which acts as a sense of smell. Snakes have no uvula. Their glottis can move aside when eating large prey. They have no epiglottal region.

Sentient and non-sentient snakes hiss their entire volume of air without interruption, so a Parseltongue utterances cannot be longer than about fifteen seconds. Stops are typically initial, and in a verb. Whatever vocal-cords they are graced with by magic, snakes cannot speak very loudly or vary pitch beyond very low frequencies. Humans speaking above a whisper, voicing consonants and vowels, are something like "shouting barbarians" to the snakes we were allowed to interview.

Snake mouth anatomy

Given snake anatomy, even with the aide of magic, Parseltongue

  • has no labial consonants
  • has no palatal or alveolar-palatal consonants
    • except the lowered approximant /j̞̊/, a light, whispered 'y'
  • has no uvular or epiglottal consonants
  • has no voiced consonants
  • is all spoken in creaky-voice
  • has no corarticulated consonants
  • has clicks
  • allows all affricates
  • prefer to end an utterance with a sibilant/fricative or a vowel
  • has ejective forms of the stops and affricates
  • ingressive sounds are possible

There is a non-phonemic sounds that snakes are readily capable of making, the trilled 'r'. However, /r/ is a highly erotic sound which no snake would make in polite company!

Non-parselmouths should take care not to "round" any consonants or vowels when speaking to a sentient snake. Snakes have no lips, so this can render one's speech unintelligible. English speakers should take greatest care with words beginning with 'r' or any 'sh' sound.

Consonants

Consonants (IPA above, Romanization below)
Dental Alveolar Retro-
flex
Velar Pharyngeal Glottal
Central Lateral
Nasal n̪̊ ŋ̊
m n ñ
Unaspirated Stop t k ʔ
b d g '
Aspirated Stop t̪ʰ ʔʰ
bh dh gh 'h
Ejective Stop t̪ʼ t' k'
p t k
Click ǀ ǃ ǁ
bq dq zq
Fricative θ s ɬ ʃ~ʂ x
f s z c x
Affricative t̪θ ts ~ʈʂ kx
bf ts tz tc ks
Approximant ɹ̊ j̞̊~ɻ̊ ɰ̊ ħ h
r l j w y h

For those unfamiliar with the sound /ɰ/, pronounce a 'w' but leave off the lip-rounding. The dental click (¡) is used in the English "tsk tsk tsk", while the lateral click (¿) is used to spur on a horse. The (post) alveolar click (!) is made by placing the tongue at the top of the mouth and then letting it slap down. The African version of this click - where the mouth produces an overly loud, hollow sound - should be avoided. The lateral fricative (ł) is found in Welsh but may be very unfamiliar to English-speakers elsewhere. The pharyngeal approximant (ħ) is a very raspy 'h', produced as far down the throat as possible.

Somewhat surprisingly, a small cadre of Estonian wizards and witches who are all Parselmouths has been found in recent times. They have a traditional way of writing Parseltongue that we have systematized herein.

Ingressive

There are a small number of ingressive words in Parseltongue, mostly interjections, ideophones and onomatopoeias. There is no special notation for these words: they are either italicized or set off in astericies before and after.

Allophony

  • g/x/k/gx/kx + l > /ɫ̥/
  • g/x/k/gx/kx + ł > /ʟ̝̊/
  • þ + l > //


Vowels

Vowels (IPA above, Romanization below)
Front Center Back
High i ɯ
i u
Near-high ɪ ʊ̜
ï ü
High-mid e ɤ
e o
Low-mid ɛ ʌ
ë ö
Near-low æ ɐ
a ä

Like the Niger-Congo family of languages in Africa, Parseltongue has a system of five vowels, each of which has a twin with Retracted Tongue Root (RTR). These five vowels can be arranged in a 'V', with /i/ in the top-left. /e/ is in the middle-left and /a/ at the bottom. The unrounded (because, again, snakes have no lips) versions of /o/ and /u/ are the right-middle and top-right components of the 'V'. With this pattern in mind, one can see how /i/ and /u/ are "high", while /e/ and /o/ are "mid". /a/ is "low". /i e a/ are "front" and /u o a/ are "back". Notice how, in regards to frontness/backness, /a/ is both.

Vowel Harmony

Front Back
High i/ï u/ü
Mid e/ë o/ö
Low a/ä

Phonotactics

Parseltongue can be extremely difficult to analyze phonotacticly. Even with enunciating as one would to a fool or simpleton, snakes never cease the continuous airstream. Syllable boundaries, therefore, are somewhat arbitrary. Snakes we interviewed regard this as an unimportant, human problem, akin to transcribing choking or sneezing. For our purposes, we should regard Parseltongue syllables as capable of having either a vowel or a fricative in the nucleus. The overwhelming majority of syllables are V, CV, or CVC. Like Estonian, Parseltongue distinguishes geminate consonants and vowels with a high degree of specificity. Under some analyses, there are three levels of gradation, but this is disputed and typically called a supersegmental feature. In our notation, doubling of any letter indicated gemination.

A fricative (in the onset or in the nucleus) may be long or short. A syllabic fricative may be preceded by a stop, and hence, part of an affricate. It may also be preceded by an approximant or another fricative. Open syllables, in this case, are common. A fricative, nasal, or approximant can be analyzed as the coda of a fricative-nucleus syllable.

If a vowel is the syllable nucleus, it may be preceded by a click, either nasal, a stop (which may be preceded by a fricative), a fricative, an affricate (which may be preceded by a fricative) or an approximant (which may be preceded by a stop or a fricative). The coda of a vowel-nucleus syllable may be a nasal (which may be followed by a fricative), a fricative, l or h, or it may be left open. Clicks and taps may only follow an open, vowel-nucleus syllable.

Aesthetically, snakes find it distasteful to have stops or clicks in the middle of an utterance. Hence, while it would be possible through appropriate case use to have any word order, verbs almost always come first.

Accent is very hard to detect at times in Parseltongue. It appears that almost all words are emphasized on the first syllable, though pronouns tend to be enclitic. Unusually stress patterns are marked with an acute herein (i.e. ´ ).

Snake vowel chart.svg
  • a is /æ/ as in Sally
    • ä is /ä/ as in father
  • b is /t̪/ like the 't' in uncouth talk, said rapidly, with the tongue between the teeth, but without a breath of air
    • bh is the same as b but with the exhaled breath
    • bq is the dental click, like spurring a horse on
  • c is /ʃ/ as in shush (without lip-rounding)
  • d is /t/ as in star', without a breath of air
    • dh is the same as d but with the exhaled breath
    • dq is the alveolar click, like children imitating horses trotting
  • e is /e/ as in bet'
    • ë is /ɛ/ as in Scottish bet, like the vowel in thanks said rapidly (no diphthong)
  • f is /θ/ as in thin, never they
  • g is /k/ as in "kit", but without a breath of air
  • h is /h/ as in harpie (can end a syllable)
    • also used after b, d, and g to produce aspirated stops
  • i is /i/ as in sheet
    • ï is /ɪ/ as in shit
  • j is /j/ as in "yes" (without the tongue actually touching the palate)

N=nmñ
C=bgdkt
T=q
S=szxfc
R=rljħhwy
V=aäeëiïoöuü

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SV
NV
RV
V
NVS
SVS
RVS
NVR
SVR
RVR
SRV
CV
CVS
CVR
CRV
TV
SS

http://zompist.com/gen
  • k is /k'/ as in beatboxing 'k'
  • l is /l/ as in lull, but can also be velarized, or dental
  • m is the dental /n/ as in tenth
  • n is /n̥/ as in nun whispered
    • ñ is /ŋ̊/ as in sung whispered (can begin a syllable)
  • o is /ɤ/ like 'foe' without the lip rounding (not a diphthong, like Spanish)
    • ö is /ʌ/ like an English cot without lip rounding
  • p is /t̪ʼ/, an ejective dental t, as in beatboxing
  • q is only used in digraphs to produce clicks after b, d and z
  • r is /ɹ̊/ as in rut whispered (be careful to put the tongue-tip behind the alveolar ridge)
  • s is /s/ as in sass
  • t is /t'/, an ejective 't' as in beatboxing
  • u is /ɯ/, an unrounded version of shoot
    • ū is /ʊ̜/, an unrounded version of cut
  • v is not used
  • w is /ɰ̊/, like a whispered 'w' without lip rounding
  • x is /x/, as in loch or Bach
  • y is /ħ/ like a harsh 'h' said low in the throat
  • z is /ɬ/, like the Welsh 'll'
  • ' is the glottal-stop, like the dash in uh-oh