Morphosyntactic alignment in constructed languages can be classified into various types, including nominative-accusative, ergative-absolute, and tripartite.
The documentation of the Nala language provides valuable insights for language creators interested in split ergative systems and Australian language features.
Deep dives
Podcast Summary
The podcast episode discusses morphosyntactic alignment in constructed languages. It explains the different types of alignment, including nominative-accusative, ergative-absolute, and tripartite. The speaker highlights the complexities and challenges of understanding and classifying these alignment patterns. The podcast also touches on the fluid-S system, Austronesian alignment, and the unique morphosyntactic features found in specific languages. Overall, the episode provides a comprehensive overview of morphosyntactic alignment in constructed languages.
Nala Language Summary
The Nala language, an Australian language with only a few speakers, is discussed in this episode. It is described as an ergative-absolute language with tripartite alignment for first and second person pronouns. The summary highlights Nala's phonology, including nasal consonants and coronal distinctions. The grammar sketch of Nala mentions its unique morphological features, such as the use of noun plus verbalizer combinations for verb formation. Additionally, it describes the case system, which includes a special case for obscured perception. The summary concludes by suggesting that Nala's documentation can serve as inspiration for language creators who want to explore split ergative systems or other Australian language features.
Feedback Response
The email feedback from Bryn Lefollette is discussed in this episode. Bryn suggests covering phonology and historical language change in future episodes. The speakers discuss their interest in these topics and express their plans to explore them further. They appreciate Bryn's suggestions and mention the possibility of covering phonotactics and other phonological concepts in upcoming episodes. Additionally, they discuss the use of strata and the challenges and benefits associated with incorporating historical language change in conlangs. The speakers express their enthusiasm for receiving feedback from listeners and their desire to cater to the interests of their audience.
CORRECTION: A commenter below graciously corrected me on a point I (George) raised in the show. When I talk about desiderative languages, please replace that word with dechticaetiative. Look to the comments below for a relevant link. I apologize for misidentifying the phenomenon I was talking about. We talk a lot about morphosyntactic alignment, outlining the basic... Read more »
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