Idavic languages
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Ashe and Hirst's Shalaian grammar provides the following diachronics:
Phonology
- Consonants: b d j g ɓ t’ č’ k’ kʷ’ q’ p t č k kʷ q s h ʔ m n l r w y ʕ
- Vowels: a i u ā ī ū ō ə
- Pitch accent: modal (á), creaky (aˀ)
Diachronics
- b > v; ɓ > b; g > għ-, -j; j > ʒ
- Grimm's law: p t č kʷ q > 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/
Phonotactics
1- or 2- syllabic roots most common: CVC, CVCC, CVCCa, CVCVC, CVCCVC
Morphology
Tone changes were part of the morphology of Proto-Shalaian, as in Modern Shalaian.
The three genders, the strong and weak declensions and the two sets of possessive markers are all Proto-Shalaian features. Verbs were not inflected for tense or person, and were syntactically verbal nouns; it is thought that verbs developed personal marking later from possessed (even doubly-possessed) verbal noun forms.
Nouns
Adjectives
Verbs
The auxiliary
Explain and/or fix:
Tables
| present | past | future/subjunctive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pos. | neg. | foc. | pos. | neg. | foc. | pos. | neg. | foc. | |
| direct (verbal) | vor | mar | thom' | lōkh | larra | lōm' | zhar't, ∅ | bai' | zharm' |
| mirative | thwal | lizhmer | thwal'om' | thwakh | thwakhra | thwakh lōm' | thwal zhar't | thwal bai' | thwal zharm' |
| hearsay | shaf | shaf mar | shafom' | shafakh | shafra | shaf lōm' | shaf zhar't | shaf bai' | shaf zharm' |
| inferential | tib | tib mar | tib thom' | tílakh | tib ra | tib lōm' | tib zhar't | tib bai' | tib zharm' |
| question | am | maand | am thom' | okh | morra | okh thom' | ner't | ner'bai' | nerm' |
| relativizer (direct) | vi | dov | vi thom' | vikh | dover | vikh thom' | ver't | do'ft | verm' |
| relativizer (indirect) | cha' | do'ch | cha' thom' | chakh | do'char | chakh thom' | char't | do'cht | charm' |
| complementizer | ith | dor | ith thom' | ian | dorn | ian thom' | naaf | dor't | naaf thom' |
| if (real) | sher | rikh | sher thom' | shern | reen | shern thom' | wher't | reer't | wher't thom' |
| if (irreal or less vivid) | roogħ | rikh | roogħ thom' | roogħan | reen | roogħan thom' | roor't | reer't | roogħ zhar't thom' |
Syntax
Proto-Shalaian syntax was AuxVOS:
- Stative verbs (eventually all intransitives): Aux_i prep VN-w_i S_i (abs/erg in Shal.)
- Dynamic verbs (eventually transitives): Aux_i prep s_j-VN-w_i O_j S_i (abs/erg in Shal.)
- Infinitive clauses: prep VN.INF-w_i S_i O ... (nom/acc in Shal.)