Proto-Dynic

Proto-Dynic
Created by	Gaffney McCoy Flancer
Setting	Veyn
Language family	Dynic language family Proto-Dynic

Proto-Dynic is a naturalistic constructed language made for the world of Veyn Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. It is intended to serve as the common ancestor to the largest language family in Veyn, the Dynic family. The language and the family are both named after the shared root for the word 'person' in many Dynic languages, in Aryval, the most common Dynic language; dyn.

Proto-Dynic is a non-diegetic reconstructed conlang; that is, it does not exist within world of Veyn, but rather is framed as a hypothetical reconstruction that linguists may arrive at after studying the Dynic languages of Veyn. Although most of the in-world peoples of Veyn may have a basic understanding that the Dynic languages share a multitude of similarities, and understand the concept that they may have split from a single language in the distant past, they have yet to develop a model of Proto-Dynic. Although it is in fact not a reconstructed language—it was created before/along with it's descendants, it is presented as though it were, for stylistic reasons.

Phonology

Consonants

Proto-Dynic consonant phonemes

		Labial	Dental	Palatal	Velar		Glottal
					plain	labial
Nasal		*m	*n	*ń	*ŋ	*ŋʷ
Stop	voiceless	*p	*t	*c	*k	*kʷ	*ʔ
	voiced	*b	*d		*g	*gʷ
Fricative			*s				*h
Liquid			*r *l	*y		*w

Vowels

Proto-Dynic vowel phonemes

	Front		Central		Back
	short	long	short	long	short	long
Close	*i	*ī			*u	*ū
Mid	*e	*ē	*ə	*ə̄
Mid			*a	*ā

Morphology

Verbs

Proto-Dynic has a rich system of verbal suffixes. Proto-Dynic verbs use inflection for modal and conjunctional purposes. Other categories, such as voice, tense, aspect and mood, are expressed using optional suffixed auxiliaries, which are also inflected. There are six principle parts from which all other conjugations are derived.

Conjugation of verb classes

Verb class	Irrealis	Infinitive	Conclusive	Adnominal	Realis	Imperative	Gloss
C-stem regular	*réne	*réni	*rénusu	*rénu	*rénsa	*rénə̄	'take, tug'
s-stem irregular	*báse	*bási	*básu	*básu	*bâsa	*básə̄	'hit, strike'
i-stem irregular	*mié	*mǐ	*misú	*miú	*misá	*miré	'look, see'
u-stem irregular	*cué	*cuí	*cusú	*cǔ	*cusá	*curé	'make, do, place'
e-stem irregular	*ě	*eí	*esú	*eú	*esá	*eré	'eat'
ə-stem irregular	*kʷê	*kʷə́i	*kʷə́su	*kʷə́u	*kʷə́sa	*kʷə̂	'say, speak'
a-stem irregular	*daŋʷáe	*daŋʷái	*daŋʷásu	*daŋʷáu	*daŋʷása	*daŋʷáre	'sing, chant'
C-stem stative	*ʔəc-hé	*ʔəc-hí	*ʔəc-hísu	*ʔəc-hú	*ʔə̌c-sa	*ʔəc-hə́re	'big, large'
V-stem stative	*ʔə́nə-he	*ʔə́nə-hi	*ʔə́nə-hisu	*ʔə́nə-hu	*ʔə́nə-hsa	*ʔə́nə-həre	'small, little'

Reduplication

Proto-Dynic makes extensive use of reduplication to form the plural of nouns. Generally, the first onset and nucleus of a word are reduplicated, with any long vowels shortened in the reduplicated syllable:

• *kel ('island') → *kekel ('islands')
• *dūnə ('person') → *dudūnə ('people')
• *sawk ('hawk') → *sasawk ('hawks')

Reduplication can also be used with uncountable or collective nouns to refer to large or otherwise extreme or emphatic versions of a noun. The same is true of adjectives:

• *sēl ('the ocean') → *sesēl ('the vast ocean')
• *hur ('tall, high') → *huhur ('very tall, very high')
• *ʔə̄c ('large, big') → *ʔəʔə̄c ('huge, enormous')

Occasionally a reduplicated term may carry both of these meanings. For example, *kekel may have the plural meaning 'islands,' or the collective 'land, all the islands, great island, continent.'