Idavic languages

Ashe and Hirst's Shalaian grammar provides the following proto-language:

Phonology

• Consonants: b d ǵ gw G ɓ t’ ḱ’ kʷ’ q’ p t ḱ kʷ q s h ʔ m n l r w y
• Vowels: a i u ā ī ū ō
• Pitch accent: modal (á), creaky (aˀ)

Morphology

Tone changes were part of the morphology of Proto-Shalaian, as in Modern Shalian.

The strong and weak declensions and the two sets of possessive markers are both Proto-Shalaian features. It is thought that verbs developed personal marking later from possessed (possibly doubly-possessed) verbal nouns.

Syntax

Proto-Shalaian syntax was VOS.

Diachronics

• b > v; ɓ > b; gw > g > γ > x
• Grimm's law: pʰ tʰ ḱʰ kʷʰ qʰ > f θ ʃ x H
• q G q' > H ayin q
• further shifts: kʷ' > kʷ > xʷ
• Vowel shifts: ā > /ɛɪ/ (except before pharyngeals); ō > /əʊ/, u > /ɒ/, iw > /ju:/
• final -ā -ī shorten to -a -i
• Loss of initial glottal stop, then loss of non-prevocalic /r/
• Historical long vowels (also /ɑː/ from historical /ar/) shorten before /ʕ/