Hlou-Shum languages

Hlou-Shum languages/Lexicon

The Hlou-Shum languages (Eevo: bo brits Lloo-Xwm; Hlou: Schmë Ntzog Schlaub-Xul; Ko: lees yoo ndoigh Hloobh-Xoo) are a small family of languages native to Verse:Tricin/Bjeheond. Most modern Hlou-Shum languages are tonal. The proto-language, Proto-Hlou-Shum, is 2500 years old. The family is based on the idea of IE languages recast as Hmong-like languages. Hlou-Shum languages had much more importance in the past, but today Tergetian and Rhythoed are more dominant in Bjeheond.

Family tree

• Proto-Hlou-Shum
  • Hlou (Ntzog Schlaub)
  • Shum (llhau syuun)
  • Ko (lees ndoigh Komh)
  • Clooa (Mois de la Crouet)
  • Liai (hmyg Liaid)
  • Tlu (χμωωβ Τλωδ)
  • (lone polysynthetic nontonal Hlou-Shum language)

Timeline

Proto-Hlou-Shum: 2500 years BP

Writing system

Proto-Hlou-Shum was written with a system of logographs. Hlou, Ku and Shumian developed the logographs separately into their own writing systems.

Phonology

Phonotactics

The typical Proto-Hlou-Shum word had the structure

(preinitial) + (C)C(r/l)V(C)(C)^tone.

Preinitials were unstressed derivational prefixes and were lost without a trace in some descendants, such as Ku.

Some unstressed prefixes: nə-, rə-

Initials

• p t ṭ ḱ k ʔ
• np nt nṭ nḱ nk
• b d ḍ ǵ g
• nb nd nḍ nǵ ng
• f v z s x h (z, s, x as in Basque)
• tz ts tx
• ntz nts ntx
• dz ds dx
• ndz nds ndx
• m n ṇ ń y r l w

s-series > ɬ-series in some descendants

Ku and Clooa gain uvulars through velars + r/l.

Nuclei

a e i o u ə ai au ei ou iə uə - a few more vowels for Liai

Nasal vowels?

Coda

Allowed finals: just -ŋ, -k, -h, -ʔ

Cheshirized grammatical particles -> lenition, eclipsis in Ku

Tones

3 tones: -0, -H, -X

Grammar

Proto-Hlou-Shum was head-initial like Vietnamese.

Derivation

TODO: preinitial prefixes

• ⟨l⟩ infix?
• s-: nominalization, "metonymy", adjectivizer
  • louʔ 'spring (season)' > slouʔ 'springlike, where there is spring'
• -ʔ: nominalization
  • lou 'to plant' > louʔ 'spring (season)'
• n- preinitial
• r- preinitial
• D- preinitial (dentalizes some consonants in Shum)

Reflexes

Initials

pr, br > pʂ > pf in Hlou

kr, gr > sch in Hlou

tr, dr > tr, dr in Hlou

Shum

s- triggers tone split

b p > bh p

sb sp > b p

np nb > b mh

spr pr > ph p

sbr br > bh bh

nCl, r.Cl > nl or nlh

l > l, D.l > ll