Idavic languages

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

Family tree

• Shalaic
  • Shalaian (Arabo-Salisho-RP)
  • Netagin (Hebraeo-Welsh)

Phonology

• Consonants: b d dł j g gʷ t tł c(?) č k kʷ q s z ł š h ʔ m n l r w y ʕ
• Vowels: a i u ā ī ū (ə allophonic)
• Pitch accent: modal (á), creaky (ã)
  • Creaky voice is the source of glottal reinforcement in Shalaian and vowel shifts in Netagin.

Shalaian 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 > 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

Combine Old Irish, Semitic and PIE morphologies

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 or triconsonantals alternating between CVC(ə)C (also called the segolate form) and C(ə)CVC (also called the antisegolate form) by Schwebeablaut.

2-letter roots:

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

3-letter roots:

• √qdVb~qVdb 'true'

Schwebeablaut alternations work as follows:

• The default state is the CVCC form: qidb 'to be true'; qidbt 'loyalty'
• With closed syllable in the prefix the segolate form is used: hin·qídb 'to verify' → li·hinqadb 'I verify'
• With open syllable in the prefix the antisegolate form is used: ri·qádb 'to stay true' → li·ríqdab 'I stay true'

Ablaut

There were 8 ablaut grades:

• zero-grade (CC)
• a-grade (CaC ~ CCa or CaCC ~ CCaC)
• i-grade (CiC ~ CCi or CiCC ~ CCiC)
• u-grade (CuC ~ CCu or CuCC ~ CCuC)
• lengthened grades: ā, ī, ū-grades (intensive? transitive? plural? nominalization? pair up with short grades?)
• creaky voice: causative?

Many prefixes and suffixes require certain ablaut grades.

Examples

√ʕ-d 'to shine'

• Intransitive verbs: -ʕad- ~ -ʕid- ~ -ʕd- = to shine
• Adjectives: ʕīd = bright
• Noun:
  • ʕād = light
  • ʕā̃d = Sun, star? (singulativized collective)
  • creaky voice marked singulatives: ʕãd = ray
• Action or state noun: ʕud-ar = (state of) shining, brightness
• Deverbal nouns:
• Derived stems:
  • wa·ʕā́d = to polish
  • ʕãd-ī́r = to illuminate, to show (source of Shal. għa'téer 'to prove')
  • ʕád-m-ar = (root extension) happiness, joy
  • ʕíd-n-ar = (root extension) beauty, radiance

Nouns

Proto-Shalaic had 3 genders: inanimate (i), animate (a), and abstract (h). The abstract gender evolved to serve honorific functions in Shalaian, hence the abbreviation "h".

Proto-Shalaic nouns were marked for singular and dual and plural numbers.

Weak and strong nouns

Shalaic nouns could have plurals marked with -ā, -ī, ablaut and/or reduplication. Nouns pluralized with a suffix are weak nouns and nouns pluralized with stem changes are strong nouns. There were broken plurals marked by lengthening the stem vowel; these often developed into singular nouns in Shalaian.

Nouns were usually weak and take plurals marked with suffixes: 'star' is declined as ʕā́d, li-ʕā́d, ti-ʕā́d, ..., with plural ʕādā.

Inalienably possessed nouns were always pluralized with stem changes, like Arabic broken plurals: ʔəmmā́ "mother", ʔəmā́m "mothers".

Verbs

Finite verbs

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

• ʕáb 'see! look (at it)!'
• la·ʕáb-Ø → la·ʕáb 'I see it'
• la·ri-ʕáb > la·ráʕb 'I am seen'
• ja·la-ʕab → ja·láʕb 'I see you folks'

The verb forms

• The finite forms including 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

Proto-Shalaic had an extensive array of derivational affixes.

Root extensions: suffixes

frequentative, intensive, applicative, etc.?

• Creaky voice marked intensive or transitive verbs like the Semitic geminate binyan
• -ay (h): deverbal noun
• With prefixed verbs, the stress shift derives verbal nouns: *ri·kʷā́n 'to rest' → ·ríkʷan 'rest'. This is the source of some infinitives being marked with stress shifts in Shalaian (riwháin, ríwhain 'sleep').
• -gʷid (i): augmentative
• -t (i): verbal noun, resultative
• -āk (i): collective
  • developed to the -akh plural in Shalaian

Lexicon

ʔ

• ʔappā́ 'father', pl. ʔapā́pā
• ʔəmmā́ 'mother', pl. ʔəmā́mā

g

• √gb 'to hit'
  • Shalaian kṓvid 'calamity' ← *gṓb-gʷid

ʕ

• √ʕd 'to shine'
  • -ʕad- ~ -ʕid- ~ -ʕd- = to shine
  • ʕīd = bright
  • ʕād = Sun, star
  • ʕud = (state of) shining, brightness
  • ʕōd = light
  • Derived stems:
    • wa·ʕā́d = to polish
    • ʕãd-īr = to illuminate, to show (source of Shal. la'téer 'to prove')
    • ʕid-nar = (root extension) beauty, radiance
    • √ʕdm 'happiness, joy'
• √ʕn 'to be high'
  • √ʕnm 'to raise'
  • Shal. għánam 'to raise, to exalt'
  • √ʕnb 'to raise'
  • Shal. għánav 'to dedicate, to devote'
• √ʕr 'to be in, at'

q

• √qbd 'true, to believe'

t

• √tq 'to say'