View source for Proto-Alopian

{{Infobox proto-language
| name        = Proto-Alopian
| altname     = Proto-Siwa
| boxsize     = 22.5em
| creator     = Étienne L. Poisson
| target      = Alopian
| region      = Eastern Canada
| era         = 2000 BCE
| familycolor = alopian
}}
{{Infobox language family
| name        = Alopian
| creator     = Étienne L. Poisson
| region      = Eastern Canada
| familycolor = Alopian
| protoname   = [[Proto-Alopian]]
| child1      = Forest&nbsp;Alopian
** Siwa
** Sigori
| child2      = Tundra&nbsp;Alopian 
** Eastern&nbsp;Onori
** Western&nbsp;Onori
| child3     = Coastal&nbsp;Alopian
** Coastal&nbsp;Olma
** Central&nbsp;Olma
** Southern&nbsp;Olma
| map         = Alopian.png
| mapcaption  = {{#tag: center|Distribution of Alopian languages}}
}}

<div style="text-align: justify;">
'''Proto-Alopian''' is the reconstructed ancestor of the Alopian language family. Little is known about its grammar or possible attestations other than the historical sound changes. It is believed that the Alopian people migrated from [[w:Europe|Europe]] around 3000 [[w:BCE|BCE]], in the [[w:Holocene|Holocene epoch]].

The two main theories of how this migration took place are either by foot over the frozen oceans of the [[w:Last Glacial Period|Last Glacial Period]] (known as “Early Settlement”) or by boat through the steadily-rising [[w:Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic Ocean]] (“Late Settlement”).

After thousands of years of apparent nomadism, the Alopian people settled in present-day [[w:Quebec|Quebec]], where the common language began to split into different dialects that formed the Alopian languages.

While most words are native (a priori), Proto-Alopian features roots from [[w:Uralic languages|Uralic]] and [[w:Algonquian languages|Algonquian languages]] as a product of their migration.

==Etymology==
The word “Alopian” that gives name to the language family comes from the {{mn|grc|ἀλωπός|ᾰ̓λωπός}}, meaning “fox”, a strong cultural item for the Alopian people.

==From Proto-Alopian to Siwa==
Siwa is by far the most documented Alopian language, part of the Forest Alopian branch, and  it is the language of around 30 000–60 000 speakers. The following list gathers most sound changes that Proto-Alopian underwent to become Siwa. ''Not in chronological order''.

* '''''*b''''' became ''m'' intervocalically before long front vowels ''*ē'', ''*ī''. Before ''*o'', ''*u'', it remained as ''b'' or changed to ''m'' and ''w''.
<center><code>b > {∅,m} / V_{eː,iː}</code>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<code>b > {b,m,w} / V_{o,u}</code></center>
* '''''*w''''' usually became ''v'' before stressed front vowels, although it sometimes changed to ''m'' before ''*ē'', ''*ī'' like ''*b''. It disappeared between identical vowels.
<center><code>w > v / _V[+stress +front]</code>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<code>w > m / _{eː,iː}</code>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<code>w > ∅ \ V₁_V₁</code></center>
* '''''*d''''' became ''v'' before ''*a'', ''*o'' but evolved to ''w'' or disappeared before ''*u''. 
<center><code>d > v / V_{a,o}</code>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<code>d > w / V_u</code>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<code>d > ∅</code></center>
* '''''*n''''' changed to ''j'' after a long front vowel.
<center><code>n > j / V[+long +front]_</code></center>
*

==Reconstructed vocabulary==
<!-- {{#categorytree:Proto-Alopian lemmas|mode=pages|hideprefix=always|hideroot=true|namespaces=Contionary}} -->

[[Category:Languages]][[Category:A priori]]