Idavic languages
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Ashe and Hirst's Shalaian grammar provides the following diachronics:
Phonology
- Consonants: b d j g ɓ t’ č’ k’ kʷ’ q’ p t č k kʷ q s h ʔ m n l r w y ʕ
- Vowels: a i u ā ī ū ō
- Pitch accent: modal (á), creaky (aˀ)
Diachronics
- b > v; ɓ > b; g > għ-, -j; j > ʒ
- 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
1- or 2- syllabic roots most common: CVC, CVCC, CVCCa, CVCVC, CVCCVC
Allowed root clusters
- mC: mn ml mr my mgħ mb md mzh mt mch mk mq mth ms msh mkh mħ mh
- nC: nm nr ngħ nv nw nd nzh nt nch nk nq nf nth ns nsh nkh nwh nħ nh
- lC: lm ln lgħ lv lw lb ld lzh lt lch lk lq lf lth ls lsh lkh lwh lħ lh
- rC
- għC: għm għn għl għr għy għw għv għb għd għzh għt għk għf għth għs għsh għkh għwh
- Cm: nm lm għm dm zhm tm chm km qm thm sm shm khm ħm hm
- Cn: mn ln għn vn bn dn zhn tn chn kn qn fn thn sn shn khn whn ħn hn
- Cl: ml għl vl bl dl zhl tl chl kl ql fl thl sl shl khl whl ħl hl
- Cr: mr nr għr vr br dr zhr tr chr kr qr fr thr sr shr khr whr ħr hr
- Cy: my ny għy (never initial) vy by dy ty ky qy fy thy sy khy ħy hy
- Cw: nw għw dw zhw tw chw kw qw thw sw shw ħw
- Cgħ: mgħ ngħ lgħ vgħ bgħ dgħ zhgħ tgħ chgħ kgħ fgħ thgħ sgħ shgħ khgħ whgħ
- XX: vd vzh bv bd bzh bt bk bs bwh bħ dv db zhv zhb zhd tf tk tq tħ cht chk chf chs kt kch kq kf ks ksh kħ qt qch qf qs qsh ft fk fs fsh fħ thb [ðb] thk thf thħ sb [zb] sd [zd] st sk sf sħ sht shch shk shf shħ khf kht khs khsh wht whch whf whth whs whsh ħt ħch ħf ħs
Morphology
Tone changes were part of the morphology of Proto-Shalaian, as in Modern Shalaian.
The three genders, the strong and weak declensions and the two sets of possessive markers are all Proto-Shalaian 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.
Nouns
Adjectives
Verbs
The auxiliary
Should be as far from cartesian product as possible. Like Welsh?
- present: mae e'n, dydy e ddim yn
- past: mae e wedi, mae e heb, naeth e, na naeth e (which ones?)
- future: mae e ar, na neith e
| present | past | future/subjunctive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pos. | neg. | foc. | pos. | neg. | foc. | pos. | neg. | foc. | |
| direct (verbal) | vor | mar | thom' | lōkh | larra | lōm' | zhar't, ∅ | bai' | zharm' |
| mirative | thwal | lizhmer | thwal'om' | thwakh | thwakhra | thwakh lōm' | thwal zhar't | thwal bai' | thwal zharm' |
| hearsay | shaf | shaf mar | shafom' | shafakh | shafra | shaf lōm' | shaf zhar't | shaf bai' | shaf zharm' |
| inferential | tib | tib mar | tib thom' | tílakh | tib ra | tib lōm' | tib zhar't | tib bai' | tib zharm' |
| question | am | maand | am thom' | okh | morra | okh thom' | ner't | ner'bai' | nerm' |
| relativizer (direct) | vi | dov | vi thom' | vikh | dover | vikh thom' | ver't | do'ft | verm' |
| relativizer (indirect) | cha' | do'ch | cha' thom' | chakh | do'char | chakh thom' | char't | do'cht | charm' |
| complementizer | ith | dor | ith thom' | ian | dorn | ian thom' | naaf | dor't | naaf thom' |
| if (real) | sher | rikh | sher thom' | shern | reen | shern thom' | wher't | reer't | wher't thom' |
| if (irreal or less vivid) | roogħ | rikh | roogħ thom' | roogħan | reen | roogħan thom' | roor't | reer't | roogħ zhar't thom' |
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.)