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 (ã)
Diachronics
- b > v; ɓ > b; g > għ, 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
1- or 2- syllabic roots most common: CVC, CVCC, CVCCa, CVCVC, CVCCVC, CVCVCC
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-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. Justify with analytic constructions; relex Welsh
- direct present: vor ← *bō ʕar = mae e'n, mar ← *bō mad ʕar = dydy e ddim yn
- direct past: lōkh ← *li ʔōkʷ = mi naeth e, vizha ← *bō hašgā = mae e heb
- direct future: zhar't ← *jag gãtʼ = lit. stands before
present | past | future | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 rā | ʔam nayd | ʔam bãy nayd |
relativizer (direct) | bī | dō bī | bī ʔōkʷ | dō bī ʔōkʷ rā | bī kʷãt | dō bī kʷãt |
relativizer (indirect) | čʼã | dō čʼã | čʼã ʔōkʷ | dō čʼã ʔōkʷ rā | čʼã jar kʷãt | dō čʼã jar kʷãt |
complementizer | ʔit | dō rā ʔikʷ | ʔit hin | dō rā hin | napā | dō jar rā ʔikʷ |
if (real) | čīr | čīr rā ʔikʷ | čīr hin | čīr rā hin | (ʔam) kʷid ʔit | yankʷid rā ʔikʷ |
if (irreal or less vivid) | rū ʕar ʔit | rū ʕar rā ʔikʷ | rū ʕar bō hin ʔit | rū ʕar rā hin | rū ʕar kʷid rā ʔit | rū ʕar yankʷid rā ʔikʷ |
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.)