Idavic languages
Ashe and Hirst's Shalaian grammar provides the following proto-language:
Family tree
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-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.
Root structure
Consonantal roots, halfway between IE and Semitic? Old Irishy allomorphy?
1- or 2- syllabic roots most common: CVC, CVCC, CVCCa, CVCVC, CVCCVC, CVCVCC
Nouns
Noun plurals: -ōk, -ā, -ī, -ir, ablaut and/or redup
Adjectives
Verbs
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
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 the finite verbs; some conflation with imperative
- The second infinitive (more of a lexical deverbal noun): origin of the infinitives
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.)