Lucid International Language, LIL

This conlang aims to be minimal yet nuanceable. And by its very nature to maintain that course. Starting at ground zero, where somebody from New Guinea is on the same level playing field as somebody from New York, i.e., international in that sense, the question is asked, What returns the greatest mental and expressive flexibility in the least amount of learning and practice time? The caveat is that those two from New Guinea and New York should be able to understand each as well as any two from overlapping dialects, adjusting to each other in any social interaction.

A word about the use of the term “minimal”. LIL seeks to restrict the number of grammatical features by allowing words that are otherwise used as content words to logically supply them. In other words, one word could, and should, be used as a noun, modifier, verb, adposition, conjunction, interjection. There should be a minimum of syllables used as particles outside of these context-derived classifications.

Consonants
Those in parentheses are considered allophones. The varieties of [p], [t], [k]; [s]; [m], [n], [l]; [w], [j] are the 9 most common consonants in the languages of the world. [f] is added so that a base 10 can be used to economically direct the vocabulary mnemonically, as LIL aims to make maximum use from a limited number of words.

LIL will also make the maximum use it can from the most internationally available keyboard: Qwerty. A freed Qwerty letter can be considered open to repurposing if it can be legitimately and lucidly used outside of the minimal, root lexicon. [x] is one of those.

Vowels
A 6-vowel system is used for a reason explained in Prosody.

Phonotactics
1) All languages have CV, and LIL has 10 × 6 = 60.

And all languages intuitively know the proper shapes of their native words. As stated, LIL aims to maintain its course to be phonologically and, thus, grammatically and lexiconically, minimal. Allowing for an open ended number of roots (the world’s worst offender being English) does not encourage restraint. Therefore, all (root) words are monosyllabic.

CVC is allowed as well. But all proper LIL words must be followed by a vowel, a resonant-initial word used grammatically or a break in the flow of speech. So, CVC is phonologically CVC+V/R. Nuclear syllable being: CV/R.

Unless it is followed by a comma, period or some other break that could be written as a punctuation mark. ...C, C... ...C‒C..., ...C. C..., etc., thus, has a grammatical function. If, that is, the two C-s have these syllabic features: Being a coda, the first C is naturally weakened while the second C is strengthened by it being an onset. (You can hear this these happening at commas in English.) Therefore. if a third C is not strengthened, then it is a word functioning as a piece of grammar.

10 C × 6 V = 60 × 10 C = 600 + 50 = 650 possible (root) words native to LIL.

II) When there is no consonant in a coda, a glottal stop /ɂ/ after the vowel is used at a punctuation break. Its absence allows two vowels to come next to each other and form a CVV or CVVC word (i.e., /CV:/ or /CV:C/). LIL makes overt use of length. See Prosody.

a) LIL also makes use of diphthongs. /w/ and /j/ are the default realization with /u/ and /i/ being used to lengthen the word. Diphthongs, though, are only used for words beyond the most basic, entry level set of words.

b) Long vowels and diphthongs can be divided into two syllables to indicate prosodic differences on the sentence level. So there are more than 650 acceptable LIL words. /w/u/ and /j/i/ is 2 × 4 vowels (/wu/ and /ji/ doesn’t count) = 8 possibilities. 8 × 650 = 5200 + 600 = 5800. Words with glides/diphthongs are not to be among the most frequently used roots. Unless there is an excellent reason to draw attention to its meaning.

A LIL rule of thumb is that whatever can be prosodically done with vowels can also be done with the other resonants, /m/, /n/, /l/. (For practicality sake, a nonphonemic central vowel may be inserted if need be.) Resonance increases the possibilities of a minimal language. See Paralinguistics.

Writing System
Qwerty is used because it is the most common Latin keyboard internationally and does not require extra strokes.

That means

Prosody
LIL makes extensive use of pitch and length at both the word morpheme and sentence levels so that they operate cooperatively.

I) First of all, LIL is syllable-timed not, like English, stress-timed. Each vowel is to be pronounced with more or less equal force. Pitch accent is a feature that helps maintain this prescription. {II}

II) LIL pitch is not an arbitrary accent. It is not a tone. It is not a true part of intonation. There are reasons for their variations.

1) Where pitch goes in a group of words acts can distinguish between those that are compounded and those not. (Don’t tell me “I see a pink elephant” is the same as “I see a pink elephant”. One is a description and one is, hopefully, not to be taken literally.) See Syntax.

2) Which pitch is used is determined by its 3(+) semantics of degrees:

(a) up/rising = “usually more attractive/positive”, (c) down/falling = “opposite/negative” (b) level/mid range = “in-between the poles/neutral”. (The quotation marks allow for fudging, that is to say, for expanding beyond the strict limitations of minimalism).

3) But what if you don’t clearly hear the all-important pitch that determines the semantics of the word? There’s a system of vowel mutation, (i > y > o > i ); ( e > a> u > e) that goes with the 3 pitches. If you don’t hear the pitch, you hear false homophones and (hopefully) can tell which is meant by context. If no pun is intended.

But to the 3-pitch system is added reduplication of the word. In LIL, reduplication is used to indicate shades of meaning. “good good” has more force than simple “good”. “good. Good!” can have a different interpretation than “Good! good”. The high pitched good reduplicated would mean "excellent", while by changing its vowel and giving it a low pitch good becomes bad and reduplication can mean "inferior", and a different vowel from the set of 3 vowel options and mid pitch gives the root the meaning of "so-so", reduplicated into "mediocre". Separate modifications are then needed to indicate which value-system is applied. Of left to be supplied by already establish context.

Counting 0 reduplication and reduplication combined with the root also being with or without pitch increases the number of degrees possible. 3 × 5 = 15. 15 × 5800 = 8700.

LIL’s underlying lexicon is still minimum. The great number is an expansion from the far fewer root words. It is easier to learn/remember an “opposite” and “neutral” equivalent of a word than to have to memorize and remember the same in a completely different form (English). Or making what you’re trying to say even longer and more complex to understand expressions by agglutinating yet more verbiage. (“The Turkish say Sorry using the French merci because by the time they say “özür dilemek” they no longer feel so sorry”)

Taking the time and effort to do (II) (should) increase the importance the speaker puts on expressing the degree right. It does discourage hyperbole when the strongest expressions take the longest time and effort to say and write.

III} Different from the morpheme-level degrees (above) is the sentence-level degrees. The morpheme-level features are what the sentence-level ones are built upon.

1} Every language every sentence will have at least one important word. Why? Focus, contrast, emphasis, assertion, relevance, etc. They are marked quite naturally by lengthening the vowel.

2) Long vowels can be made into two syllables to allow more degrees of expressiveness here. And a LIL rule of thumb allows resonants to be treated the same way.

3) To this end, the two side-by-side vowels/resonants can each have their own pitch features. The more time and effort something takes, the more worthwhile the user thinks that something is.

IV) The pitches can be spoken higher or lower than the person’s normal level. Briefly, like English, higher elevates the importance of the word, phrase or clause, lower lessens it. Think of such punctuation marks such as dashes and parentheses. Think of restrictive/essential (“the man who dropped the ball and lost the game”) verses the nonrestrictive/nonessential (“the man, who dropped the ball, hit a home run”).

V) Certain laryngeal, epiglottal, pharyngeal and other non-Qwerty sounds can fairly naturally be associated with meanings that could be used to increase the subtlety of LIL even further. The are also often heard in the interjections and onomatopoeias of different languages. It is a real challenge to write them using Qwerty. Speech-to-text opens the possibility that they can be systematized.

Grammar
Particles. ...C, C... punctuation breaks separate Modifiers, be they Adjectives or Adverbs.

a} ...V... particles are needed for when there is no punctuation break. The one ...V... absolutely needed is [e]. Being mid, unrounded this vowel is the most convenient vowel to each that isn’t a schwa [ə]; it separates consonants but also links words into a unit. It does not compound the words, but it can be part of the compounding method. See Paralinguistics.

b} Realistically, nouns need to be differentiated from the verb. Not counting [e], that’s two vowel particles. Phonetic symbolism can be called upon to decide which vowel goes with which particle. By the relative gradation of effort and the metaphor of the position in the vocal mouth:

i} This second vowel particle is for the Verb. The high, rounded [u] requires more effort and that makes it more important, the definition of an action predicate, as well as its going through the mouth all the way from the back to out into the world where people can see it by its rounded lips.

ii} The third available vowel particle, mid, round [o], should be related to the [u] particle. In some languages, adjectives are not usually differentiated grammatically from the verb. The Adjective Particle does not mark it as a modifier but as an adjective complement orbiting its verb.

iii} The fourth matches the vowel in the middle of the mouth [i] with what is in the middle of an action, the Direct Object.

iv} The fifth, the [a] particle, would then mark the Subject, as it is closest to the origin of the action if the actor is the speaker.

v} The Indirect Object is not technically marked by a particle but by certain serial verbs, like "give" and "benefit". Though the "to/for" verb/adposition is a possibility.

vi} [y] is available for as yet undecided use. Auxiliary? Meta?

Now for the other particles and words being purposed for grammar? Vowel substitutes are needed. That means they have to be a resonant, the quality that allows for the easier transition between consonants. Sonance is ordered this way:

[a], [e, o], [i, u], [j, w], [ɾ](flap), [l], [m, n, q]; [v, ð, z], [f, þ, z]; [affricatives]; [b, d, g], [p, t, k],

A LIL rule of thumb is that whatever can be paralinguistically done with vowels can also be done with the other resonants, [m, n, l]. Resonance increases the possibilities of a minimal language. See Paralinguistics.

Nouns
Nouns are only required to have their case particles.

Everything else is optional. There is a list of options that the speaker should keep in mind to add if context does not provide adequate clarity. LIL is meant to allow language to be lucid without being burdensome.

Verbs
Verbs are only required to have their particle marker.

Everything else is optional. There is a list of options that the speaker should keep in mind to add if context does not provide adequate clarity.

Note that these options can be moved out of the predicate in order to link them up with what has come before, demote or promote them. An example would be the word used to mark an assertion mood that continues with the same force, is made less confidently or made more emphatically.

Syntax
Compound words: The main pitch goes on a modifier, otherwise it is on the head, Noun/Verb.

SVO with an Indefinite Object that can even be brought not only before the object but next to the Subject with a valence conjunction.

Noun+case_particle  Modifier   e/punctuation-break   Modifier   punctuation-break   Meta

Noun+case_particle  Noun+case_particle(same) = 2nd noun is a genitive

Verb+u  Modifier   e/punctuation-break   Modifier   punctuation-break   Meta

Verb+u  Verb+u = 2nd verb is a serial verb.

Critique, I am not yet satisfied that auxiliaries are adequately distinguishable from modifiers. Perhaps [y] will be used, it would be better if [y] can be used analogously within the Noun Phrase.

Lexicon
A work in progress. (Below is mostly, but not all, taken from Marq Thompson's ta ti)

la-:  (n) location, place   (m) real, true, existence  (vi) to be there, to be present, to be real/true, to exist   (vt) to actualize, to cause manifestation  (p) to be (located) at/on/in

le': (n) movement, transportation  (m) moving, mobile   (vi) to go, to walk, to travel, to move, to leave   (vi) to move, to displace   (p) to, in order to, towards, for, until   (c) thus, therefore, so   (i) good-bye to someone leaving

lu,: (n) origin, cause  (p) from, by, because of, since   (c) because, since

fu-: (n) touch, border  (m) abutting, adjacent, conterminous   (vi) to be touching, to be on the border

fe;: (n) neighbor, area, view  (m) next-door, close, approximate   (vi) to be next to, to be close by

fa,: (n) absence  (m) away, absent, missing   (vt) to throw away, to remove, to get rid of