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Proto-Ash-Ish (view source)

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<templatestyles src="AshStyle/style.css" />
'''Proto-Ash-Ish''' (henceforth referred to as PAI) is the reconstructed protolanguage linking the [[Ash]] and [[Ish]] languages through their own respective protolanguages, [[Proto-Ash]] and [[Proto-Ish]].
'''Proto-Ash-Ish''' (henceforth referred to as PAI) is the reconstructed protolanguage linking the [[Ash]] and [[Ish]] languages through their own respective protolanguages, [[Proto-Ash]] and [[Proto-Ish]].
The PAI speakers would have lived in a mountainous area during a period of glaciation which forced them to seek new lands. Those who would become speakers of Ish left the mountains altogether and found a temperate climate where the sea was not frozen over and became skilled sailors. Those who would go on to speak Ash delved further into the mountains, finding oases of heat in geologically active areas and came to worship the dual nature of fire. Eventually the ice age subsided and perhaps following volcanic eruptions they followed in the footsteps of their long lost kin and arrived at the ocean which now reached much further inland. This is where the two groups would eventually meet again and new cultures combining the old with the new would develop.


==Phonology==
==Phonology==
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Here a big difference from modern Ish is the presence of a nasal consonant whereas Ish has transferred nasality as a feature onto its vowels, losing the consonant in the process.
Here a big difference from modern Ish is the presence of a nasal consonant whereas Ish has transferred nasality as a feature onto its vowels, losing the consonant in the process.


* As in Proto-Ash, it is unclear exactly what {{ash|*q}} was. It merged with {{ash|*k}} in Ish so may have been a uvular plosive but in Ash it develops into a glottal.
* As in Proto-Ash, it is unclear exactly what {{ash|*q}} was. It merged with {{ash|*k}} in Ish so may have been a uvular plosive but in Ash it developed into a glottal.
* The nasal {{ash|*n}} likely assimilated the point of articulation of any other consonant in a cluster.
* The nasal {{ash|*n}} likely assimilated the point of articulation of any other consonant in a cluster.
* The approximant {{ash|*w}} was probably {{IPA|*/ɰ/}} as in Ish.
* The approximant {{ash|*w}} was probably {{IPA|*/ɰ/}} as in Ish.
Line 107: Line 110:


PAI would have had some nominal morphology in the form of case endings inherited by the daughter branches only to be mostly lost or repurposed in various ways.
PAI would have had some nominal morphology in the form of case endings inherited by the daughter branches only to be mostly lost or repurposed in various ways.
===Deixis===
The proximal and distal determiners are an example of common inheritance from PAI shared between the daughter branches.
{| class="wikitable"
! PAI
! Proto-Ash
! Ish
|-
| {{ash|*ewe}} "this"
| → {{ash|*i(j), *(i)ja-}} → {{ash|*i, *ja-}}
| → {{ash|(iy)i /(e)ɰe/}}
|-
| {{ash|*awa}} "that"
| → {{ash|*u(w), *(u)wa-}} → {{ash|*u, *wa-}}
| → {{ash|(ow)o /(a)ɰa/}}
|}


===Verbs===
===Verbs===
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! Ish
! Ish
|-
|-
| {{ash|*qek}} (transitive verb, direct object)
| {{ash|*qeka}} (transitive verb, direct object)
| → {{ash|*qak}} → {{ash|ảh-}} (direct agency)
| → {{ash|*qaka}} → {{ash|ảh-}} (direct agency)
| → {{ash|*ekˣ}} → e(g), iq- {{ash|/e(k(ˣ))/}} (direct object)
| → {{ash|*ek}} → e(g), iq- {{ash|/e(k(ˣ))/}} (direct object)
|-
|-
| {{ash|*qat}} (transitive verb, indirect object)
| {{ash|*qate}} (reflexive/passive verb, indirect object)
| → {{ash|*qat}} → {{ash|ảs-}} (inverse agency)
| → {{ash|*qati}} → {{ash|ảs-}} (inverse agency)
| → {{ash|*atˢ}} → a(d), at- {{ash|/a(t(ˢ))/}} (indirect object, passive)
| → {{ash|*at}} → a(d), at- {{ash|/a(t(ˢ))/}} (indirect object, passive)
|}
|}


While these still serve somewhat similar functions in both languages, they work quite differently on a syntactic level.
While these still serve somewhat similar functions in both languages, they work quite differently on a syntactic level.


===Deixis===
===Syntax===
 
Thanks to the grammatical cases word order was probably somewhat free in PAI, reflected by the resulting differences in the daughter branches as they solidified their own word order in different ways as the case endings collapsed. Ash settled on auxiliary-noun-verb whereas Ish settled on verb-auxiliary-noun.
 
The auxiliary verbs appear to have been used with a kind of participle ending in {{ash|*-er}}.
 
A sentence in PAI may thus have looked as follows:
 
<div class="ash-columns">
<div class="ash-column">
{{gloss
|phrase={{ash|*ntaw qeka te kaw-er}}
|gloss=fire.SUBJ AUX.ACT water.OBJ whirl-PTCP
|translation=Fire stirs water.
}}
</div>
<div class="ash-column">
{{gloss
|phrase={{ash|*kaw-er qeka te ntaw}}
|gloss=whirl-PTCP AUX.ACT water.OBJ fire.SUBJ
|translation=Fire stirs water.
}}
</div>
</div>


The proximal and distal determiners are an example of common inheritance from PAI shared between the daughter branches.
It seems Ash preferred the first syntax while Ish settled on the second. The corresponding sentences in their own protolanguages would have been something like the following:


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! PAI
! Proto-Ash
! Proto-Ash
! Ish
! Proto-Ish
|-
|-
| {{ash|*ewe}} "this"
| {{ash|*naw qaka ti kwa:}}
| → {{ash|*i(j), *(i)ja-}} → {{ash|*i, *ja-}}
| {{ash|*kaɰe ek te daɰ}}
| → {{ash|(iy)i /(e)ɰe/}}
|-
| {{ash|*awa}} "that"
| → {{ash|*u(w), *(u)wa-}} → {{ash|*u, *wa-}}
| → {{ash|(ow)o /(a)ɰa/}}
|}
|}


===Syntax===
The auxiliary {{ash|*qate}} was somewhat unusual. It appears to have been reflexive while able to take a benefactor as a direct object. Some of its usages might be compared to the verbal "be-" prefix of Germanic languages. Looking at its modern reflexes, it seems to have denoted a lack of volition.
 
{{gloss
|phrase={{ash|*taw-er qate ewe ntaw}}
|gloss=stand-PTCP AUX.PASS PROX.OBJ fire.SUBJ
|translation=Fire was stood for/by this one.
}}


Thanks to the grammatical cases word order was probably somewhat free in PAI, reflected by the resulting differences in word order in the daughter branches as they solidified their own word order in different ways as the case endings collapsed. Ash settled on auxiliary-noun-verb whereas Ish settled on verb-auxiliary-noun.
This corresponds quite straightforwardly to modern Ish, besides a change in meaning, and the fact that a verb prefix is now required as well:


It is possible that Ash reflects the original trend and that Ish verb-auxiliary constructions were in fact compounds as noun-auxiliary forms would also develop, eroding the distinction between nouns and verbs apart from word order. Another fact in favour of this analysis is that Proto-Ash seems to have had verb ending derived from PAI {{ash|*-(a)r}} while Ish does not reflect this and may have attached roots directly to the auxiliaries, although the ending may also have been irregularly eroded in this weak position.
{{gloss
|phrase={{ash|attayáti dow}}
|morphemes=/VC-tˢaɰe=aT-ɰe taɰ/
|gloss=NDIR-appear=NDIR-PROX fire
|translation=I saw the fire.
}}


A sentence in PAI may thus have looked as follows:
The order of the referents and the participle were probably free to move around:


{{gloss
{{gloss
|phrase={{ash|*qek te kaw-ar}}
|phrase={{ash|*te qate kaw~kaw-er}}
|gloss=AUX.DIR water.PAT whirl-INF
|gloss=water.OBJ AUX.PASS whirl~REDUP-PTCP
|translation=stirs water
|translation=It is being whirled for/by water.
}}
}}


An alternative construction without the infinitive suffix may have led to the forms in Ish:
This instead corresponds to modern Ash syntax although this is no longer the common word for water:


{{gloss
{{gloss
|phrase={{ash|*kaw-qek te}}
|phrase={{ash|see ảsgoa}}
|gloss=whirl-AUX.DIR water.PAT
|morphemes=/ti hat͡s-kuwa/
|translation=stirs water
|gloss=water/air INV-LOCV:DYN
|translation=They are moved by water/air.
}}
}}
===Reduplication===
Reduplication seems to have formed frequentatives already in PAI as reflexes show up in Proto-Ash as well as modern Ish. In the latter it forms the continuous aspect whereas in Ash the reduplicated forms seem to simply have become separate words or to have replaced the non-reduplicated forms altogether, although this might not have happened until later when it may have been necessary to differentiate between words that were becoming homophonous due to sound changes.
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | PAI
! colspan="2" | Ash
! colspan="2" | Ish
|-
| {{ash|*kaw~kaw(-er)}}
| "whirl, swirl, whorl, cycle, wrap"
| → *ku~kwa: → {{ash|goa}}
| "be/move around, elapse"
| → {{ash|qacow /kˣa.kaɰ/}}
| "be passing (of time, weather)"
|}


==Vocabulary==
==Vocabulary==
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! colspan="2" | Ash
! colspan="2" | Ash
! colspan="2" | Ish
! colspan="2" | Ish
|-
| {{ash|*kaw-}}
| "whirl, whorl, cycle, wrap"
| → {{ash|goa}}
| "be/move around, elapse"
| → {{ash|qayi /kˣaɰe/}}
| "water, flow"
|-
|-
| {{ash|*ntaw-}}
| {{ash|*ntaw-}}
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| "bad"
| "bad"
|-
|-
| {{ash|*taw-}}
| {{ash|*taw(-er)-}}
| "stand"
| "stand"
| → {{ash|*tw-a-}} → {{ash|laa}}
| → {{ash|*twa:}} → {{ash|laa}}
| "be, stand"
| "be, stand"
| → {{ash|tayi /tˢaɰe/}}
| → {{ash|tayi /tˢaɰe/}}
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The general changes of individual sounds are fairly straightforward given the small inventory of PAI itself as well as its descendants. However in particular contexts many factors would have come into play at once, yielding more complex changes. Likewise roots were often extended with additional affixes in the daughter branches and so may not always correspond to them perfectly.
The general changes of individual sounds are fairly straightforward given the small inventory of PAI itself as well as its descendants. However in particular contexts many factors would have come into play at once, yielding more complex changes. Likewise roots were often extended with additional affixes in the daughter branches and so may not always correspond to them perfectly.


===Laryngeal colouring===
===Laryngeal and rhotic colouring===


The back consonant {{ash|*q}} sometimes affected vowels in the daughter languages.
The back consonant {{ash|*q}} sometimes affected vowels in the daughter languages.
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In this case we see backing of {{ash|*e}} to {{ash|*a}} in Ash while in Ish [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoglottophilia rhinoglottophilia] served as one of the sources of its nasal vowels. Ish also appears to have extended the root with a suffix of which today remains only {{ash|/-ɰ/}}.
In this case we see backing of {{ash|*e}} to {{ash|*a}} in Ash while in Ish [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoglottophilia rhinoglottophilia] served as one of the sources of its nasal vowels. Ish also appears to have extended the root with a suffix of which today remains only {{ash|/-ɰ/}}.
The same seems to have happened around {{ash|*r}}:
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | PAI
! colspan="2" | Ash
! colspan="2" | Ish
|-
| {{ash|*ner-}}
| "smell"
| → {{ash|*nana}} → {{ash|ıdna͠a}}
| "nose"
| → {{ash|nẽdẽ /DẽDẽ/}}
| "nose, smell"
|}
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