Taba

Proto-Pfeunic is the common ancestor to Pfeunic, one of the largest branches of the Quihum languages.

Diachronic sketch

1. q, qʷ > k, kʷ
2. a ə i u > e a i u (before laryngeals vocalize)
3. laryngeal reflexes:
   • aʔ, eʔ, iʔ, uʔ (also ah, eh, ih, uh) > ā, ē, ī, ū
   • ax, ex, ix, ux > ē, ē, ī, ū
   • ax̌, ex̌, ix̌, ux̌ > ā, ā, ē, ō
   • axʷ, exʷ, ixʷ, uxʷ > ō, ō, iw, ū
   • ax̌ʷ, ex̌ʷ, ix̌ʷ, ux̌ʷ > ā, ō, ew, ō
4. root voice assimilation: a plain stop (unless following s) is assimilated to a voiced stop within a stem
   • "An additional constraint prohibited roots containing both a voiced aspirated and a voiceless plosive (**tebʰ-), unless the latter occurs in a word-initial cluster after an *s (e.g. *stebʰ- 'to stiffen'). Taken together with the abundance of *DʰeDʰ-type roots, it has been proposed that this distribution results from a limited process of voice assimilation in pre-PIE, where a voiceless stop was assimilated to a voiced aspirate, if another one followed or preceded within a root."

• l > r; lʼ, ł > l
• mC, nC, lC, rC > um, un, ul, ur (word-initially)
• s > s/z?
• z, n', l > r
• -sm-, -sn-, -sl-, -sr- > mm, nn, ll, rr
• -łm-, -łn- > lm, ll
• -ł > -:
• m'-, w' > wr-?
• What if some z c c' become PPf dentals (d t þ)?
  • PQ sc > PPf st
• Grimm's law!
• Verner's law!
• e > i before nasals, and in unstressed syllables (except before r)

Phonology

Consonants

Similar to PGmc, with addition of ŧ, đ, ŝ /tɬ, dɮ, ɧ/.

Vowels

Vocalism should be similar to PGmc.