The Þog of 2023-12-12 — Phonology Analysis of Catperson English

This analysis overlaps slightly with the speech of dogpeople and some human voice actors.

(This is technically just the phonology, as I'm not aware of any catperson English dialect that differs to standard English in places other than just the phonology.)

Common Phonology Features

• Rhoticism, usually expressed as [w] or [ʋ] (sometimes [wˠ]?)
• Palatalisation in many, but not all, positions, especially after /n/.
• All vowels are usually a bit fronted. Fully-back vowels are extremely rare.
• English-speaking catpeople seem to usually speak in their own distinct dialects. It's very rare (in my experience) for a catperson to speak with RP or GenAm English. Expressions of 'bath' with a back vowel /bɑːθ/ or 'water' with tap or a rhotic /wɑːɾɚ/ seem almost non-existent.
• [ɹ], [w], [ʋ], or non-rhotic diphthong can appear in words ending with a rhotic, depending on the speaker.

Less Common Phonology Features

• Lambdacism, usually only in non-onset syllable positions. Some of the expressions I've heard (using the word 'lollipop' as an example) are [läːlipʰap], [wɒwipʰap], and [ʎɔʎipʰʌ̞p].
• Expressions of /t/, /d/ as [t̪ʰ]/[d̪ʰ], [t̘ʰ]/[d̘ʰ], or [tɕ]/[dʑ].
• Expressions of /θ/, /ð/ as [tʰ]/[dʰ].
• Expressions of /ʃ/, /ʒ/ as [s]/[z].
• Expressions of /v/ as [ʋ].
• Expressions of /s/, /z/, /ʃ/. /ʒ/ all as [ɕ]/[ʑ].
• Expressions of /j/ as [ʝ]
• Expressions of /w/ as [ʋ] and rarely [v]
• Post-rounding of some consonants. e.g. 'pool' expressed as [pʰʷʉːwʎ].
• Some vowels expressed nasally? (I'm not 100% sure if that's what this is)

Sentence Examples

"My hovercraft is full of eels." (English)

MY AUSTRALIAN IDIOLECT

[mɒ̝ɪ h̞ovɐkˣɹɑːft ɘz fʊɫ əv ijəɫz]

GenAm

[mɑi hɔ̞vɚkɹæ̝͡æːft ɪ̈z fɔ̝ɫ əv iːɫz]

CATPERSON RECONSTRUCTION

[mäʝ hɔ̈vəwkʋæ̝͡æːft ɪʑ fʊwˠəv iːʝə͡ʊʋʑ]

"luka len pi moli la, o pini e awen sina" (toki pona)

MY IDIOLECT (as I naturally speak, without extra effort)

[lɯkʰɐ lɛn pʰi mɔli lä ɔ pʰini ɛ äwɛn sinɐ]

CATPERSON RECONSTRUCTION

[ʎykʰa̝ ʎen pʰi moʎi ʎa̝ ɔ pʰiɲi e a̝weɲ ɕina̝]

"De wind blies de stapel bladeren omver." (Nederlands)

MY IDIOLECT (a non-native beginner, as it would naturally occur to me without thought)

[dʰə ʋɪnt bliːs dʰə stɐːpʰəɫ bläːdəʁ̞ɛ̃ ɔmfeɾ]

CATPERSON RECONSTRUCTION

[dʰa ʋɪnd bʋiːɕ dʰa ɕta̝pʰɜw bʎaːdɐʋɜɲ ɔmveʋ]