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 dł j g gʷ p t tł č k kʷ q s ł š h ʔ m n l r w y ʕ
• Vowels: a i u ā ī ū ō
• Pitch accent: modal (á), creaky (ã)
  • Creaky voice is the source of glottal reinforcement of Shalaian and vowel splits 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 > /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, to show' (source of Shal. għeed 'bright'; għádmer 'happiness' comes from a root extension √ʕ-dm)
• √ʕ-n 'high, raised'

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)
• ō-grade (CōC or CōCC)
• 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 = Sun, star?
• Action or state noun: ʕud-ar = (state of) shining, brightness
• Deverbal nouns:
  • collective: ʕōd = light
  • singulative: ʕãd = ray
• 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

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

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

Root extensions: prefixes or suffixes?

frequentative, intensive, applicative, etc.?

both prefixes and suffixes

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

Lexicon

ʕ

• √ʕ-d '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. għa'téer 'to prove')
    • ʕád-m-ar = (root extension) happiness, joy
    • ʕíd-n-ar = (root extension) beauty, radiance
• √ʕ-n 'to be high'
  • Shal. għánam 'to raise, to exalt'
• √ʕ-r 'to be in, at'

k

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

t

• √t-q 'to say'