Original Prompt Provided by Jessie Peterson

Quothalinguist – Exploring language since ’89

Day Eight

Goal: Describe (or design) native fauna.

A Zoological Study

These speakers have a reasonably well-versed understanding of their local terrain, as curious intellectuals among them have been able to distinguish between a collection of hundreds of individual species of animal life in the region. From the coastal beachstone formations, to the flood plains, to the grasslands, and to the heavily forested thickets, the estimation seems to be somewhere close to one thousand known local and endemic fauna at this time in their history.

The lack of a writing system for nearly all of their evolutionary past means these highly intelligent and primitive people have developed an impressive coordination of their memories; this is necessary for the passing of crucial knowledge of the usage and benefits of these fauna to the next generation.

It is agreed upon that the local fauna is best arranged into eight smaller groups. These groups are adjacent equivalents to the genera of Aves, Amphibia, Reptilia, Mammalia, Actinopterygii, Mollusca, Arachnida, and Insecta.

Survey of Aves

Aves account for nearly a fifth of the counted species of fauna. Of the approximately one hundred and ninety individual species, they are categorized into over one hundred and forty individual genera.

Several of the most populous genera of birds found here are adjacent examples to the Corvus (crows and ravens), the Anas (mallards and pintails), the Egretta (small egrets and herons), the Ardea (great herons and egrets), the Turdus (typical thrushes), the Larus (large white-headed gulls), the Malurus (typical fairywrens), the Motacilla (wagtails), the Pelecanus (pelicans), the Streptopelia (turtle-doves and collared-doves), and the Vanellus (lapwings).

Survey of Amphibia

Amphibia account for just over a tenth of the counted species of fauna. Of the approximately one hundred and ten individual species, they are categorized into over sixty individual genera.

Several of the most populous genera of amphibians found here are adjacent examples to the Litoria (Australasian treefrogs), the Rana (pond frogs), the Hyla (Holarctic treefrogs), the Ranoidea (ranoidea), the Hyperolius (reed frogs), the Leptodactylus (neotropical grass frogs), the Rhinella (beaked toads), the Scinax (snouted tree frogs), the Crinia (typical froglets), the Limnodynastes (banjo and marsh frogs), and the Lithobates (American water frogs).

Survey of Reptilia

Reptilia account for just over a tenth of the counted species of fauna. Of the approximately one hundred and ten individual species, they are categorized into over ninety individual genera.

A few of the most populous genera of reptiles found here are adjacent examples to the Mauremys (old world pond turtles), the Hemidactylus (house geckos), the Nerodia (watersnakes), and the Podarcis (wall lizards).

Survey of Mammalia

Mammalia account for just under a tenth of the counted species of fauna. Of the approximately eighty individual species, they are categorized into over sixty individual genera.

A few of the most populous genera of mammals found here are adjacent examples to the Canis (wolves and dogs), the Pteropus (flying-foxes), and the Sciurus (tree squirrels).

Survey of Actinopterygii

Actinopterygii account for just under a tenth of the counted species of fauna. Of the approximately ninety individual species, they are categorized into over seventy individual genera.

A couple of the most populous genera of fish found here are adjacent examples to the Diplodus (ray-finned fish) and the Gobius (typical gobies).

Survey of Mollusca

Mollusca account for just over a tenth of the counted species of fauna. Of the approximately one hundred individual species, they are categorized into over ninety individual genera.

One of the most populous genera of mollusks found here is an adjacent example to the Anadara (saltwater bivalves and ark clams).

Survey of Arachnida

Arachnida account for just over a tenth of the counted species of fauna. Of the approximately one hundred and ten individual species, they are categorized into over ninety individual genera.

Several of the most populous genera of arachnids found here are adjacent examples to the Argiope (garden orbweavers), the Leucauge (orchard spiders), the Trichonephilia (banded orbweavers), the Heteropoda (giant huntsman spiders), the Menemerus (wall jumping spiders), the Neoscona (spotted orbweavers), and the Oxyopes (grass lynx spiders).

Survey of Insecta

Insecta account for just over a fifth of the counted species of fauna. Of the approximately two hundred and ten individual species, they are categorized into over one hundred and sixty individual genera.

Several of the most populous genera of insects found here are adjacent examples to the Junonia (buckeyes and pansies), the Orthetrum (skimmers), the Papilio (common swallowtails), the Pseudagrion (sprites), the Ischnura (forktails), the Belenois (caper whites), the Crocothemis (scarlet skimmers), the Danaus (tiger milkweed butterflies), the Diplacodes (perchers), the Vanessa (ladies and admirals), and the Xylocopa (large carpenter bees).

Day Nine

Goal: Summarize your speakers and their world.

Day Ten

Goal: Choose “series” of consonants to incorporate.

Consonantal Place

From the columns of the consonantal chart of the International Phonetic Alphabet, this protolanguage will have a selection of articulated sounds of bilabial, labio-dental, dental, alveolar, palatal, velar, and glottal.

Consonantal Manner

From the rows of the consonantal chart of the International Phonetic Alphabet, this protolanguage will have a selection of articulated sounds of plosives, nasals, fricatives, approximates, trills, taps or flaps, lateral fricatives, and lateral approximants.

Day Eleven

Goal: Decide if you want a voicing distinction.

Choosing Pulmonic Consonants

Plosives: [c]voiceless palatal plosive, [ʔ]glottal plosive.

Nasals: [m]voiced bilabial nasal, [n]voiced dental/alveolar nasal, [ɲ]voiced palatal nasal, [ŋ]voiced velar nasal.

Fricatives: [f]voiceless labiodental fricative, [θ]voiceless dental fricative, [s]voiceless alveolar fricative, [ɕ]voiceless alveolar palatal fricative, [h]voiceless glottal fricative, [ɬ]voiceless dental/alveolar lateral fricative.

Approximants: [j]voiced palatal approximant, [w]voiced labial-velar approximant, [l]voiced dental/alveolar lateral approximant.

Trills: [r]voiced dental/alveolar trill.

Taps or Flaps: [ɾ]voiced dental/alveolar tap.

Day Twelve

Goal: Research other consonant articulations.

Choosing Non-Pulmonic Consonants

Plosives: [p’]bilabial ejective stop, [t’]dental/alveolar ejective stop, [k’]velar ejective stop.

Affricates: [ts’]alveolar ejective affricate, [tɕ’]alveolar/palatal ejective fricative.

Day Thirteen

Goal: Choose monophthongs.

Choosing Monophthongs

[i]close front unrounded vowel, [ɛ]open-mid front unrounded vowel, [ä]open central unrounded vowel, [o]close-mid back rounded vowel, [u]close back rounded vowel.

Day Fourteen

Goal: Choose diphthongs (if any).

Choosing Diphthongs

Diphthongs will not be spoken in the protolanguage. Any vowel clusters will be multi-syllabic at this current stage. The idea of diphthongs will be brought back into question, and most likely implemented, as this protolanguage goes through a series of sound changes over its history.

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