User:Praimhín/Condialects

Ancient Tzaloxian (Fiüssu Iaini natively; huēziz tzaloxiniz in Naquian) is one of the two main languages of the Naquian civilization in Tricin.

Classification

Tzaloxian is the proto-language of the Tzaloxic language family. Most Trician scholars believe it's a language isolate, though there are pseudolinguistic theories connecting it to languages of Bjeheond.

Phonology

Consonants

Tzaloxian has a simple consonant inventory with only 12 consonants:

• the stops p t c q h, pronounced /p t ts k ʔ/
• the nasals m n ŋ, pronounced as in IPA
• the fricatives f s ħ, pronounced /f s x~ħ~h/
• the liquid l, which is /ɾ/ when single and /l:/ when geminated

F, s and c before i are commonly pronounced /ç/, /ʃ/ and /tʃ/ respectively.

Vowels

Tzaloxian has 45 different vowels, perhaps the most of any major Trician language. There are:

• the simple vowels a i u /ɐ ɪ ʊ/
• the double vowels and diphthongs: aa ai au ia ii iu ua ui uu /a:~ɑ: ɛi ɔu ɪɛ i: ɪʊ ʊɔ ʏɪ u:~y:/
• the triple vowels aä iï uü äa ïi üu /ɐɑ: ɨi: ɨu: ɒ:ə i:e u:o/
• the overlong diphthongs äi aï äu aü ïa iä ïu iü üa uä üi uï /ɑ:ɪ əi: ɑ:ʊ əu: ijə~iʝ:ə jɑ: ijo~iʝ:o ju: uwə~uɣʷ:ə wɑ: uwe~uɣʷ:e wi:/
• the tripthongs aia aiu aua aui iai iau iua iui uai uia uau uiu /ɛjə~ɛʝ:ə ɛjʏ~ɛʝ:ʏ ɔwə~ɔɣʷ:ə ɔwɪ~ɔɣʷ:ɪ jɛɪ jɔʊ~jœʏ jʊə~ʏ:ə jʏi~jʏ:~ʏ: wɛɪ wɪə wɔʊ wɪw~wɯ:~ʷɯ:/

Phonotactics

A typical Tzaloxian root looks like CV(C(:)S), where C is a consonant; V is one of the 45 vowels; and S is a simple vowel (a, i or u).

The glottal stop can't be geminated.

There is vowel harmony in Tzaloxian; if V ends in i or ï, S can't be u, and vice versa (S can't be i if V ends in u or ü). So for example:

• fiüssu and fiüssa are valid words, but *fiüssi isn't;

• ciuana, ciuani and ciuanu are all valid words.

Syntax

Tzaloxian is VSO, head-initial and analytic, like Eevo or Hawaiian.