Idavic languages

In the AETHER timeline, the Shalaic languages are a family of in-universe conlangs. The family is intended to blend IE and Semitic phonaesthetics seamlessly.

Family tree

• Shalaic
  • Shalaian
  • Nădoghin

Phonology

• Consonants: b d j g p’ t’ ł’ č’ k’ kʷ’ q’ p t č k kʷ q s ł h ʔ m n l r w y ʕ
• Vowels: a i u ā ī ū ō
• Pitch accent: modal (á), creaky (ã)

Diachronics

• b > v; ɓ > b; g > y, kh, or CL; j > ʒ; ng > ng3 > n3
• Grimm's law: p t č kʷ q > f θ ʃ x H
• q G q' > H ayin q
• further shifts: kʷ' > kʷ > xʷ
• Vowel shifts: ā > /ɛɪ/ (except before pharyngeals); ō > /əʊ/, u > /ɒ/, iw > /ju:/
• final -ā -ī shorten to -a -i
• Loss of initial glottal stop, then loss of non-prevocalic /r/
• Historical long vowels (also /ɑː/ from historical /ar/) shorten before /ʕ/

Phonotactics

Allowed root clusters

Allowed clusters with no glottal stop:

• mC: mn ml mr my m3 mb md mj mg mb' mt' mč' mk' mkw' mq' mp mt ms mč mk mkw mq mh
• nC: nm nr n3 ny nw nd nj ng nt' nč' nk' nkw' nq' nt ns nč nk nkw nq nh
• lC: lm ln l3 ly lw lb ld lj lg lb' lt' lč' lk' lkw' lq' lp lt ls lč lk lkw lq lh
• rC: rm rn r3 ry rw rb rd rj rg rb' rt' rč' rk' rkw' rq' rp rt rs rč rk rkw rq rh
• 3C: 3m 3n 3l 3r 3y (never initial) 3w 3b 3d 3j 3g 3b' 3t' 3k' 3p 3t 3s 3č 3k 3kw 3q
• Cm: nm lm rm 3m dm jm gm t'm č'm k'm kw'm q'm tm sm čm km kwm qm hm
• Cn: mn ln 3n bn dn jn gn b'n t'n č'n k'n kw'n q'n pn tn sn čn kn kwn qn hn
• Cl: ml nl 3l rl bl dl jl b'l t'l č'l k'l kw'l q'l fl tl sl čl kl kwl ql hl
• Cr: mr nr għr vr br dr jr t'r č'r k'r kw'r q'r pr tr sr čr kr kwr qr hr
• Cy: my ny ly ry 3y (never initial) by b'y dy t'y č'y k'y q'y py ty sy ky qy hy
• Cw: nw 3w dw jw t'w č'w q'w tw sw čw qw
• C3: m3 n3 l3 r3 b3 d3 j3 b'3 t'3 č'3 k'3 kw'3 q'3 p3 t3 s3 č3 k3 kw3 q3
• XX: bd bj bg bt' bč' bk' bs bkw' bq' pt pč pk pq db dg tb' t'k' t'q' tp tk tq jb jd jg čb' č't' č'k' čp čt čs čq gb gd gj kb' k't' k's k'č' kp kt kč ks kwb' kw't' kw's kw'č' kwp kwt kws kwč qb' q't' q'č' qp qt qs qč sb sd sg sb' st' sč' sk' sq' sp st sč sk sq

Morphology

Tone changes were part of the morphology of Proto-Shalaic, as in Modern Shalaian.

The three genders, the strong and weak declensions and the two sets of possessive markers are all Proto-Shalaic features. Verbs were not inflected for tense or person, and were syntactically verbal nouns; it is thought that verbs developed personal marking later from possessed (even doubly-possessed) verbal noun forms.

Root structure

Shalaic roots were consonantal roots as in Semitic languages: most roots were biconsonantals C-C ~ -CC or triconsonantals alternating between C-CC ~ CC-C.

• √t-q 'to say' (a source of Shal. thaaH)
• √ʕ-d 'to shine' (source of Shal. għeed 'bright'; għádmer 'happiness' comes from a root extension √ʕ-dm)
• √ʕ-t' 'to see'

There were 7 grades:

• a-grade (CaC ~ CCa or CaCC ~ CCaC)
• i-grade (CiC ~ CCi or CiCC ~ CCiC)
• u-grade (CuC ~ CCu or CuCC ~ CCuC)
• ō-grade (CōC or CōCC)
• lengthened grades: ā, ī, ū (intensive? transitive? plural?)

Nouns

Noun plurals: -ōk, -ā, -ī, ablaut and/or redup

Verbs

Finite verbs

Do the Old Irishy prefix thing but w/ personal prefixes?

• ʕát' 'see! look (at it)!'
• la·ʕát'-Ø → la·ʕát' 'I see it'
• la·ri-ʕát > la·ráʕt' 'I am seen'
• ja·la-ʕat' → ja·láʕt' 'I see you folks'

The auxiliary

Should be as far from cartesian product as possible. Justify with analytic constructions; relex Welsh

• direct imperfect: vor ← *bō ʕar = mae e'n, mar ← *bō mad ʕar = dydy e ddim yn
• direct perfect: lōkh ← *li ʔōkʷ = mi naeth e, vizha ← *bō hašgā = mae e heb
• direct irrealis: zhar't ← *jar kʷãtʼ = lit. stands before

Proto-Shalaian TAM markers

	imperfect		perfect		irrealis
	pos.	neg.	pos.	neg.	pos.	neg.
direct (verbal)	bō ʕar	bō mad ʕar	li ʔōkʷ	bō ašgā	jar kʷãt	bãy
question	ʔam	ʔam yankʷid	ʔōkʷ	ʔōkʷ rāk	ʔam nayd	ʔam tuhar nayd
relativizer (direct)	bī	dō bī	bī ʔōkʷ	dō bī ʔōkʷ rāk	bī kʷãt	dō bī kʷãt
relativizer (indirect)	čʼã	dō čʼã	čʼã ʔōkʷ	dō čʼã ʔōkʷ rāk	čʼã jar kʷãt	dō čʼã jar kʷãt
complementizer	ʔit	dō rāk ʔikʷ	ʔit hin	dō rāk hin	napā	dō jar rā ʔikʷ
if (real)	čīr	čīr rāk ʔikʷ	čīr hin	čīr rāk hin	(ʔam) kʷid ʔit	yankʷid rā ʔikʷ
if (irreal or less vivid)	rū ʕar ʔit	rū ʕar rāk ʔikʷ	rū ʕar bō hin ʔit	rū ʕar rāk hin	rū ʕar kʷid rā ʔit	rū ʕar yankʷid rā ʔikʷ

The verb forms

• The imperative
• The first infinitive: origin of Shalaian finite verbs; some conflation with imperative
• The second infinitive (more of a lexical deverbal noun): origin of the Shalaian infinitive

Derivation

• -ay (h): abstract noun
• With prefixed verbs, the stress shift derives verbal nouns: *ri·kʷā́n ~ ·ríkʷan 'to rest; to check out'. This is the source of some infinitives being marked with stress shifts in Shalaian (riwháin vs. ríwhain).

Syntax

Proto-Shalaian syntax was AuxVOS:

• Stative verbs (eventually all intransitives): Aux_i prep VN-w_i S_i (abs/erg in Shal.)
• Dynamic verbs (eventually transitives): Aux_i prep s_j-VN-w_i O_j S_i (abs/erg in Shal.)
• Infinitive clauses: prep VN.INF-w_i S_i O ... (nom/acc in Shal.)