Angrex

(T.B.A.) (chio bei nonth)
Spoken in:	(somewhere in North America) ((samva en Nof Maweka))
Conworld:	A possible future timeline (arguments to the contrary are welcome)
Total speakers:	none yet
Genealogical classification:	Indo-European Germanic Anglic (T.B.A.)
Basic word order:	SVO
Morphological type:	isolating
Morphosyntactic alignment:
Writing system:
Created by:
Tropylium	one very late evening in spring 2008

A tentative name for a future Anglic language. May be switched to a proper geographic-based one eventually.

Owes much to Futurese.

Grand Master Plan

Initial dialect features

Note that these features' current geographical distribution does not necessarily limit Ängrex's, since a few of them are still spreding.

Vowels

• Yod-dropping: Early Modern English /iʊ/ becomes /uː/ (GOOSE), preceded by /j/ if there's no initial consonant. Likewise /iʊɹ/ → /ʊɹ/. Typical exceptions, such as sugar, sure, apply.
• The cot-caught and father-bother mergers apply, i.e. /ɒ ɔː/ both merge into /ɑː/.
• The following rhotic vowels are distinguished: /ɪɹ ɛɹ əɹ ɑɹ ɔɹ/ (NEAR SQUARE NURSE START NORTH). /oɹ/ (FORCE) merges into /ɔɹ/; /ʊɹ/ (CURE) merges varyingly† with /ɔɹ/ or the disyllable /uəɹ/, or plain /əɹ/ in certain lexemes.† Mergers apply also before medial /ɹ/: e.g. /e.ɹ æ.ɹ/ → /ɛɹ/, /ʌ.ɹ/ → /əɹ/, /i.ɹ/ → /ɪɹ/.
• Collapse to a three-vowel system in final unstress'd position: /iː/ (HAPPY) becomes /eɪ/ (FACE), while /ə(ɹ)/ (COMMA, LETTER) becomes /ɑː/. /oʊ/ remains. (Phonetically, these are basic [e a o].)
• Unstress'd /ə/ and /ɪ/ remain mostly separate when pretonic, sometimes† also when posttonic.
• Shwa + sonorant combinations are realized as syllabic consonants [m̩ n̩ ɫ̩], especially† word-finally.

The following changes are best considered phonetic detail, since they do not disturb the phonological system.

• /ɑ æ iː uː ʊ/ → [a ɪə ɪj ʏw ʏ]
  • We'll nevertheless write the quality of the GOOSE and FOOT vowels as /ʉ ʏ/ from here on.
  • need to elaborate on the fate of /æ/ per environment, difthong decay, and on other pre-sonorant mergers (aU aI > æə aə / _S
• Length is by now secondary to quality (and won't be marked, either).

Consonants

• Whine-wine merger: /ʍ/ merged into /w/.
• /tj tɹ dj dɹ/ are affricated to /ʧ ʧɹ ʤ ʤɹ/. (Note that palatalization of /sj sɹ zj/ is older and applies to all English varieties, AFATAK.)
• Medial flapping of /t d/ to [ɾ] when posttonic. Glottalization does not (except, as widespred, to zero between a fricativ and a syllabic consonant — soften [sɑfn̩] → <sáfang>, rustle [ɹʌsɫ̩] → <wúso>)
• Interdental loss: /θ ð/ become /t d/ in onset position, /f v/ in coda.
  • eater [ˈɪjɾa], ether [ˈɪjta]
• Coda /d/ is lost after /n/.
• The clusters /ns nz/ insert epenthetic /t d/ to become /nts ndz/.

Initial syntactic changes

• Gonna and wanna
• got becomes a compulsory auxiliary in possessiv constructions, while the have element is increasingly cliticized
• Cliticization of copulas's also common, with (t)here's taking place of (t)here're
• Imperfect forms of strong verbs are eliminated and replaced by the perfect. (Some cases proceed in the opposite direction, mostly when the perfect includes -en in addition to any vowel changes, but still to the effect of only allowing one past form.)
• one becomes a compulsory pronoun in constructions involving adjectivs as referents

Further spred of certain changes

• Flapping of /d/ is extended to word-final posttonic position. /t/ persists as an unreleased [t̚].
• /nʃ nʒ/ and tautosyllabic /mf/ also undergo epenthesis (therefore eg. <thancang> from tension)
• The pattern of singular /-əs/ : plural /-aɪ/ is generalized to all applicable words, and then some.
  • The latter includes especially polysyllables ending in /-əz/, and monosyllables ending in /-s/, which will be now pluralized as /-saɪ/.

More vowel changes

• Reduction of unstressed vowels continues. In closed syllables, sufficiently unstress'd† /i e/ typically reduce to /ɪ/, /ʉ/ to /ʏ/, /ɛ æ ɑ/ to /ə/. Pretonic initial /ə/ (but not /ɪ/) tends to be lost entirely.
• Before a vowel, unstressed /i ʉ/ reduce to /j w/. The sequences /i(j)ə ʉ(w)ə/ coalesce to /ɪə ʊə/.
• Unreduced /æʊ ɔɪ/ become biphonemic /ɪə.ɔ ʊə.ɛ/ (word-finally /ɪə.o ʊə.e/). Unreduced /aɪ/ persists.
• /ʌ/ becomes essentially /ə/ even when stress'd.*
• /ɪɹ/ becomes /ɪəɹ/, still monosyllabic but now equal to a former /æ/ follo'd by /ɹ/ (bear in mind that former /æɹ/, as in carry, has turned into /ɛɹ/).
• syllabic /n/ → /ŋ/ when in word-final position

Labial/liquid chainshift

One of Ängrex's most caracteristic features.

• The main chain consists of /ɹ/ → /w/, /w/ → /ʋ/, /v/ → /b/. Only the onset position is affected.
  • /w/ remains after a velar.
• Coda /v/ → /ʋ/, further becoming syllabic if another consonant precedes
  • Coda /ɹ/ or semivowels don't count as consonants
  • Coda /l/ does, by which the changes affecting it can be dated as being later
  • Syllabic /ʋ̩/ is also produced from /əv/
• Coda /l/ separates as syllabic after a (phonetic) semivowel, ie. after the difthongal vowels /i ʉ ɪə ʊə aə aɪ/.
• …after which it vocalizes: → /w/, the syllabic form → /ʊ/.
  • New stress'd /ʊ/ develops too, from /ow/ before an additional coda consonant
• Summarizing, sail will help pull all dull old coal → <xiu veu haup phou o du or khu>; boil cool eel tile pal → <bwáyo khyowo eyo thayo pháo?>; fillen valve → <fewang bou> (For fillen, see the new syntax section)
• Onset /l/ → /ɾ/ after another consonant (even when separated by a syllable breik)
  • except before an existing /ɾ/ later in the word

Aspiration development

This series of sound changes forms major isoglosses among the Anglic languages.

• The trigger is the loss of /s/ before another consonant. This leads to the phonemicization of aspiration of voiceless stops in the onset — as well as of word-initial /ɾ/.
  • Medial stops are also geminated when /s/ is lost.
• Coda stops are normally unreleased, with the exception of the position before another obstruent, or a non-tautosyllabic consonant such as [ɫ̩] (syllables with a consonantal nucleus may not contain an onset) or [m] (stop+/m/ not being a valid initial cluster). After its inception by the previous change, aspiration develops also in this position, in stressed syllables only.
• Any coda affricates are 'fcors released, but generally don't develop aspiration. An exception, most likely analogy-motivated, is the cluster /ʧt/ when resulting from /ʧ/ plus the past tense suffix //d//.
• Additionally, /pf ts/ → /pʰ tʰ/ in all positions.
• This system is then muddled by application of anti-Grassman's Law, i.e. in a word containing two aspirates within one syllable of one another, the latter is deaspirated.
• /h/ triggers deaspiration regularly; it's however medially lost in all cases (e.g. megahertz → <magát>)
• /h/ is also lost initially before any high vowel or glide.
• However, in syllables with an initial lo vowel or /ɾ/, any possible aspiration in the coda is transferred to become an intrusiv initial /h/ (e.g. opt → <háp>, slacks → <hrákhs>)
• All coda stops after an obstruent or a homorganic nasal are lost. The first part of this change is common enuff even in contemporary English dialects, but the consequences for aspiration sho that at least in /pt kt/ this must postdate the development of phonemic aspiration.

Retroflexen

• To compensate for the increasingly stronger allophonic palatalization of ordinary coronals before front vowels, the postalveolar sibilants become apical in articulation, in enunciated speech even retroflex. These retain their inherent labialization, and a folloing /w/ is assimilated. An /f/ or /v/ from former /w/, however, is metathesized, giving eg. <pháfcúk> from patchwork, <defxa> from dishwasher (note the haplology) and <pháse(u)jri> from passageway.

Vowel shift

• Mid vowels become long high vowels: /e o/ → /jiː uː/
• Near-high vowels become short mid vowels: /ɪ ʏ ʊ/ → /e ø o/
  • furthermore /ø ej/ → /jo jej/
• Rhotic vowels also become long mid (or lo) vowels: /ɑɹ oɹ əɹ eɹ/ → /ɑː oː ɘː eː/
• Difthongs in -ə smooth into long lo vowels: /ɪə ʊə aə/ → /jaː waː aː/
• There are two theories to what's going on in here with the front vowels. One is that this is simply palatalization and the glide found in eg. cube → <khiobo> is excrescent in nature; the other is that /j/'s are actually broken off vowels, but simply lost in most situations.
  • No glide nor palatalization appears after a liquid (/l ɾ ʋ/), a postalveolar, or a bilabial.
  • Non-liquid alveolars reddily palatalize: /tʰ t d s z n/ + /ʲ/ → /tɕʰ tɕ dʑ ɕ ʑ ɲ/
    • This occurs also after /iː j/.
  • A plain [j] appears after velars and /f/.
  • Word-initially (or after a vowel?) [j] remains when resulting from /ø ɪə/.
• In contrast to all the palatalization hijinx, there's no interplay between /w/ and consonants to note. *

Yet more vowel shifts

• A sequence of /ɛ a ɑ/ plus a non-close vowel becomes a long vowel. /i u/ turn into /j w/ if adjacent to a vowel.
• The sequences /əw əj/ become [uː iː], even before another vowel.
• Vowels are additionally lengthen'd:
  • always word-finally
  • in open stressed syllables, if the next vowel is short, as well as before /z ʐ ʑ/
• Vowels are shorten'd:
  • in superhevvy syllables (with a CC coda), except those resulting from a vowel sequence
  • elsewhere??
• Syllabic consonants are lost: [ʋ̩ m̩ n̩ ŋ̩] → [u am an aŋ] (always short)*
• Coda /ʋ/ becomes /w/, while onset /ʋ/ becomes /v/ or /f/, modulo voicing of a possible preceding consonant.
• Lo front vowels collapse: /aː/ merges into /ɑː/ except when word-final, while /ɛ a/ merge as /æ/.
• Shwa is inserted after word-final voiced stops and affricates. (?)*
• Unstressed shwa then proceeds to become [e] if there is an immediately preceding palatal, and [o] if there is an immediately preceding labial glide or postalveolar.
• Stressed shwas become [ɨː] when long, [a] when short.
• Coda /j/ is lost between front vowels and palatals, likewise coda and onset /w/ between labial vowels and labials.

various

• Voiced affricates lenite to fricativs: /dz dʐ dʑ/ → /z ʐ ʑ/. Before nasals, however, the opposite development is found.
• Of two nearby prevocalic /w/, the 2nd dissimilates → [ɣ] → /ɡ/.
• Certain awkward consonant clusters are resolved:
  • /n/ after an alveolar stop becomes /ɾ/
  • /n/ before /ɾ/ becomes /nd/
  • Before another obstruent, coda /k/ and /kʰ/ become [x], similarly /p⁽ʰ⁾ b/ become /f v/.†
  • Any obstruents stranded between a nasal and another obstruent, or between two obstruents, drop out.
• Dialectal changes (not part of standard Angrex and not reflected in the orthography) include:
  • /n/ → /ɾ/ after other stops as well
  • Alternately, other stops may spirantize in this position as well, leading to correspondences such as [xn] ~ [kɾ] for standard [kn]
  • /fw fj hɾ/ → /xw xj xɾ/, leading to phonemic /x/
  • The merger of unaspirated and voiced stops

Phonology

pʰ	tʰ	tʂʰ	tɕʰ	kʰ
p	t	tʂ	tɕ	k
b	d			ɡ
f	s	ʂ	ɕ	(x)	h
v	z	ʐ	ʑ
m	n		ɲ	ŋ
w	l		j
	ɾ

i	ɨ	u
e	ə	o
æ		ɑ

Difthongs iu eu ei au ai ou oi (ui??)

Orthography

Per IPA, except:

• Obviously (?), <r> is /ɾ/, <y> is /j/ and a digraph with <h> signifies aspiration.
• <c x j> are /tɕ ɕ ʑ/ before an orthographic <i> (itself silent before another vowel), /tʂ ʂ ʐ/ elsewhere.
  • A silent <r> occurs between a retroflex and /i/. E.g. jail → <jriu> /ʐiw/, dale → <jiu> /ʑiw/.
  • need to decide what to do with coda position
• [x] is treated as an allophone of /kʰ/ and written to the effect.
• <ñ ng> are /ɲ ŋ/.
• The lo vowels are <a á> = /æ ɑ/; unstressed, <a> varies from [a] to [ə]. <ú> is /ɨ/.
  • The acutes here derive from a superscript <h>. *

Vocabulary

Numbers

• vún, chiou, thwei, fo, fau, sekh, sabang, it, nán (?), than, elabang, thfau, thúceñ, foceñ ... thfandri ... únjor, chiaosang ... melang, belang, chelang ...
• fús, sakhang, thúr, fof, fef, sekhf, sabangf etc.

Weekdays

• sandri, mándri, chioji, wanji, thúji, fwaeri (?), xiarúji

Months

• jámawi, fabawi, mác, ipo, mi, joun, jolai, ágús, súftamba, úkhtuba, nubamba, dúsamba

Colors

• vac, gwi, brak; war, owenjo, yalu, gweñ, thúkwas, sayang, brou, andregu, phúpo, majandra; pheng, bwang

Metals

• saram, magnúsam, jalmeñam, pharsam, khyausam, khum, ájang, khápa, zeng, seuba, then, phrárenam, gor, múkyowi, lar, yowiñam

Shapes

• chayanggo, wakhcianggo, kwa, phandrúgang, alef, súkho; pheumer, khyobo, khun

Military ranks

• phwabet, khopo, sajang, anthang, lournang, khyapang, mija, khúno, januo, jarmuo

Continents

• ija, yáfweka, acchrila, màweka, yowop, anthákhtek