The following is a very brief selection of cognates in basic vocabulary across the Chlesamnic family, which may serve to give an idea of the sound changes involved. This is not a list of translations: cognates have a common origin, but their meaning may be shifted and loanwords may have replaced them.
The following is a very brief selection of cognates in basic vocabulary across the Chlesamnic family, which may serve to give an idea of the sound changes involved. This is not a list of translations: cognates have a common origin, but their meaning may be shifted and loanwords may have replaced them.
The Chlesamnic languages are a branch of the Para-Germanic languages in the Indo-European language family that are spoken predominantly in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Chlesamnic, an offshoot from Pre-Proto-Germanic, and thus distantly related to the Germanic languages.
A notable feature of early Chlemsamnic was its susceptibility to be influenced by various superstrata, resulting in the various modern Chlesamnic languages to become quite divergent from each other.
The name of the language family is derived from Chlesamnia (a historical region centered around Lake Balkhash). The regional designation is derived from Ancient Greek Χλεσαμνία(Khlesamnía), itself borrowed from either Proto-Chlesamnic or one of its immediate descendants (compare Ancient [UNNAMED] /hlesamna/).
Homeland
Branches
Due to their divergent nature, the true number of languages that make up the Chlesamnic family is still under debate. This article aims to show languages that are conventionally agreed upon that make up the five branches of the Chlesamnic languages. These five branches are named on the basis of geography, namely West, North, Central, South, and East Chlesamnic:
Within this branch there is heavy divergence, some say it should be split into the western branch and the “Grecian” branch, containing Maritsan and Jankıbıreqhü.
East Chlesamnic
North Chlesamnic
History
Typology
Earlier attested languages such as Old Thadic, Old Low Polovic, Ancient Tevvic, and Kolasian have been instrumental to comparative linguistics, as they exhibit many shared characteristics that have been lost or altered in their modern descendants. Using those languages, a number of shared typological features can be identified.
Clitics for uses such as marking pronominal possession and verbal objects and introducing subordinate clauses
reconstructed a-stem endings
singular
plural
Nominative
*-as
*-os
Vocative
*-Ø
Accusative
*-am
*-ams
Nom./Voc./Acc. (n.)
*-ā ~ *-ams
Allative
*-aur
*-arus
Genitive
*-as
*-ôm
Ablative
*-eť
*-ams
Dative
*-ai
*-aisu
Instrumental
*-o
*-am(i)s
Comitative
*-wam ~ *-oham ~ *-s-ham
?
reconstructed present-active endings
singular
plural
1st person
*-o
*-(a)mas
2nd person
*-asi
*-(a)θ
3rd person
*-aθi
*-anθi
Phonology
Lexicography
The following is a very brief selection of cognates in basic vocabulary across the Chlesamnic family, which may serve to give an idea of the sound changes involved. This is not a list of translations: cognates have a common origin, but their meaning may be shifted and loanwords may have replaced them.