Eta-Talmic

Proto-Talmic is a descendant of Proto-Quihum and the last common ancestor of all Talmic languages (including Thensarian, Tíogall, Nurian, Rostherian, ...). It was a fusional, head-initial language with a number system consisting of singulative, collective and plurative numbers.

Diachronics

Wackernagel's Law?

Some sound changes from Proto-Quihum:

• Early rhotacization: lʼ, nʼ, yʼ > r
• y > h? (get PTal *j from other sources)
• Ejectives become voiced stops:
  • cʼ z > z
  • ƛʼ λ > ɮ
  • qʼ qʷʼ > ɢ ɢʷ > ʁ ʁʷ
• xʷ > w (at least word initially before a vowel; also in Proto-Pfeunic)
• ƛ > t
• Late rhotacization: z > r (s in unvoiced environments)
• lenition of p > φ
• Cluster simplifications
• tk, tq > rk, rq
• pt-, kt-, qt- > φl-, kl-, ql-

Phonology

Consonants

Proto-Talmic reconstructed consonants (Panzux)

		Labial	Dental	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labiovelar	Uvular	Labiouvular	Glottal
Nasal		*m	*n
Plosive	voiceless			*t		*k	*kʷ	*q	*qʷ
	voiced	*b		*d		*g	*gʷ
Fricative	voiceless	*ɸ	*θ	*s						*h
	voiced		*δ					*ʁ	*ʁʷ
Resonant			*l	*r	*j		*w

Vowels

a e i o u ə ā ē ī ō ū

Diphthongs:

ai ei oi ui əi aw ew iw ow əw

Thensarian reflexes

PTal reflexes in bold

• *a > o > o
• *ax̌, əx̌, ax̌ʷ > ā > ā
• *aʔ, əx̌ʷ > ō > ō
• *ə > e > e
• *i > i > i
• *u > u > u
• *ay > oi > ȳ
• *əy > ai > ae
• *iy > ei > ē
• *uy > ui > ui
• *iʔ, ix > ī > ī
• *aw > ow > ao
• *əw > ew > iō
• *iw > iw > iū
• *uʔ, ux, uxʷ > ū > ū
• *uw > ou > ao
• *Cx̌, Cx̌ʷ > Ca > Ca
• *Cxʷ > Co > Co
• *Cx > Cə > Cy
• *əʔ, əx, ix̌ > ē > ē
• *ux̌, x̌u > ō > ō
• *axʷ, ax̌ʷ > aw > ao
• *ixʷ, ix̌ʷ > ew > iō
• *ux̌ʷ > ō > ō
• *iyx̌, iyx̌ʷ > ija > iā
• *əyx̌, əyx̌ʷ > eja > eā
• *iy(ə)x > ije > iē

Morphology

Proto-Talmic needs "ingredients" for Roshterian polysynthesis.

Nouns

Proto-Talmic has innovated a sex-based gender system with masculine, feminine, and neuter genders:

1. Proto-Quihum had a gender system of common and neuter genders, and also had an honorific distinction which required agreement in verbs and adjectives.
2. In Pre-Talmic, the honorific developed into its own gender, often being used for big, sacred, specialized, or abstract things, in addition to people of high social status.
3. The word for "lady", kamynas, became the normal word for "woman" (like how Frau became the normal word for woman in German).
4. Thus, the former honorific agreement analogized to all women.

Masculine nouns

(Just one paradigm)

ɮoirom 'bird'
	Singulative	Collective	Plurative
Indefinite	ɮoirom	ɮeɮoirom	ɮoirīs
Definite	ɮoirai	ɮeɮoirai	ɮoirinnə

Possessed forms of ɮoirom - 'bird'
Number→ State↓	Singulative	Plurative
Construct	ɮoirot	ɮoirinnət
1sg possessor	ɮoiron	ɮoirinnən
2sg.m possessor	ɮoirossi	ɮoirinnəssi
2sg.f possessor	ɮoirossiu	ɮoirinnəssiu
3sg.m possessor	ɮoirotiu	ɮoirinniu
3sg.f possessor	ɮoirotī	ɮoirinnī
3sg.n possessor	ɮoirota	ɮoirinna
1exc possessor	ɮoirosmə	ɮoirinnəsmə
1inc possessor	ɮoiroswi	ɮoirinnəswi
2pl possessor	ɮoiroka	ɮoirinnəka
3pl possessor	ɮoirotōr	ɮoirinnətōr

Feminine nouns

gʷondā 'body'
	Singulative	Collective	Plurative
Indefinite	gʷondā	gegʷondā	gʷondār
Definite	gʷondām	gegʷondām	gʷondās

Possessed forms of gʷondā - 'body'
Number→ State↓	Singulative	Plurative
Construct	gʷondat	gʷondāsat
1sg possessor	gʷondan	gʷondasan
2sg.m possessor	gʷondassi	gʷondasassi
2sg.f possessor	gʷondassiu	gʷondasassiu
3sg.m possessor	gʷondatiu	gʷondasiu
3sg.f possessor	gʷondatī	gʷondasī
3sg.n possessor	gʷondata	gʷondasa
1exc possessor	gʷondasmə	gʷondasasmə
1inc possessor	gʷondaswi	gʷondasaswi
2pl possessor	gʷondaka	gʷondaseka
3pl possessor	gʷondatōr	gʷondasōr

Neuter nouns

tektəs 'child'
	Singulative	Collective	Plurative
Indefinite	tektəs	tetektəs	tektəen
Definite	tektəes	tetektəes	tektəer

Possessed forms of tektəs - 'child'
Number→ State↓	Singulative	Plurative
Construct	tektət	tektəerət
1sg possessor	tektən	tektəerən
2sg.m possessor	tektəssi	tektəerəssi
2sg.f possessor	tektəssiu	tektəerəssiu
3sg.m possessor	tektiu	tektəeriu
3sg.f possessor	tektī	tektəerī
3sg.n possessor	tektəta	tektəera
1exc possessor	tektəsmo	tektəersmo
1inc possessor	tektəswi	tektəerswi
2pl possessor	tektəka	tektəerka
3pl possessor	tektōr	tektəerōr

jenaqʷs 'water' (n.)
	Singulative	Collective
Indefinite	jenaqʷs	jenenaqʷs
Definite	jenaqʷes	jenenaqʷes

stuφs 'fire' (n.)
	Singulative	Collective
Indefinite	stuφs	stestuφs
Definite	stuφes	stestuφes

Adjectives

Masculine:

mukʷtam 'dark'
	Singulative	Collective	Plurative
Indefinite	mukʷtam	memukʷtam	mukʷtaīs
Definite	mukʷtoi	memukʷtoi	mukʷtannə

Feminine:

mukʷtam 'dark'
	Singulative	Collective	Plurative
Indefinite	mukʷtā	memukʷtā	mukʷtar
Definite	mukʷtām	memukʷtām	mukʷtās

Neuter:

mukʷtam 'dark'
	Singulative	Collective	Plurative
Indefinite	mukʷtas	memukʷtas	mukʷtān
Definite	mukʷtās	memukʷtās	mukʷtār

Verbs

Object markers

Object affixes

	Singular	Plural
1	ni-	mē-
1 + 2	-	ɬē-
2	ti-	sē-
3	bi-	nē-

TAM + subject markers

Collective subjects agree with singular (subject or object) verb affixes.

Root ablaut occurs in some stems in verbs and derived nouns. Ablauting verbs follow one of the patterns below (modulo compensatory lengthening); the present stem is in what is called the "a-grade" in Quihum linguistics, and the preterite stem has the "i-grade". (Also cf. Ancient Wiebian.)

• present stem a - preterite stem e
• present stem ā - preterite stem ē
• present stem o - preterite stem i
• present stem ō - preterite stem ī
• present stem ō - preterite stem ē
• present stem oi - preterite stem ei
• present stem ou - preterite stem iu
• present stem au - preterite stem eu

Progressive

Person	ʁaisman "I swim" (vowel stem)	kaφsən "I eat" (ablaut stem)
1SG	*ʁaisman	*kaφsən
2SG	*ʁaismar	*kaφsər
3SG.M	*ʁaismam	*kaφsəm
3SG.F	*ʁaismasim	*kaφsəsim
3SG.N	*ʁaisma	*kaφs
1EX	*ʁaismamē	*kaφsmē
1IN	*ʁaismant	*kaφsənt
2PL	*ʁaismaskʷe	*kaφsəskʷe
3PL	*ʁaismat	*kaφsət

Habitual

Person	ʁaisman "I swim" (vowel stem)	kaφsən "I eat" (ablaut stem)
1SG	*ʁeʁaisman	*kekaφsən
2SG	*ʁeʁaismar	*kekaφsər
3SG.M	*ʁeʁaismam	*kekaφsəm
3SG.F	*ʁeʁaismasim	*kekaφsəsim
3SG.N	*ʁeʁaisma	*kekaφs
1EX	*ʁeʁaismamē	*kekaφsmē
1IN	*ʁeʁaismant	*kekaφsənt
2PL	*ʁeʁaismaskʷe	*kekaφsəskʷe
3PL	*ʁeʁaismat	*kekaφsət

Preterite

Person	ʁaisman "I swim" (vowel stem)	kaφsən "I eat" (ablaut stem)
1SG	*ʁaismannem	*keφsənnem
2SG	*ʁaismarəg	*keφsrəg
3SG.M	*ʁaismasəm	*keφsəsəm
3SG.F	*ʁaismast	*keφsəst
3SG.N	*ʁaismaso	*keφso
1EX	*ʁaismamer	*keφsəmer
1IN	*ʁaismanter	*keφsənter
2PL	*ʁaismaskʷer	*keφsəskʷer
3PL	*ʁaismater	*keφsəter

Subjunctive

Person	ʁaisman "I swim" (vowel stem)	kaφsən "I eat" (ablaut stem)
1SG	*ʁaismanai	*kaφsnai
2SG	*ʁaismarai	*kaφsrai
3SG.M	*ʁaismamewr	*kaφsmewr
3SG.F	*ʁaismasewr	*kaφsəsewr
3SG.N	*ʁaismawr	*kaφsewr
1EX	*ʁaismamai	*kaφsmai
1IN	*ʁaismantai	*kaφsəntai
2PL	*ʁaismaskʷai	*kaφsəskʷai
3PL	*kaismatewr	*kaφsətewr

Imperative

Person	ʁaisman "I swim" (vowel-stem)	kaφsən "I eat" (ablaut stem)
2SG	*ʁaismā!	*kaφsə!
1IN	*ʁaismantē!	*kaφsəntē!
2PL	*ʁaismaskʷē!	*kaφsəskʷē!

Syntax

The emphatic particle *-is was commonly suffixed to the verb, as seen directly in Thensarian and the fact that Rostherian kept most verb affixes intact.