Proto-Hlou-Shum

Proto-Talsmic phonology

Consonant inventory

Proto-Talsmic reconstructed consonants
		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Nasal		*m	*n
Plosive	voiceless	*p	*t	*c	*k	*q	*ʔ
	voiced	*b	*d	*ɟ	*g
	aspirated	*pʰ	*tʰ	*cʰ	*kʰ	*qʰ
Fricative	voiceless		*s	*ç			*h
	voiced		*z	*ƶ		*ʁ
Approximant		*w		*j
Trill			*r
Lateral app.			*l

/qʰ/ may have been realized as an affricate, [qχ].

Vocalic inventory

	Front	Central	Back
Close	*i *ī		*u *ū
Mid	*e *ē		*o *ō
Open		*a *ā

Sound changes

1. ph, th, ƛh, kh, qh > resp. aspirates
2. First spirantization:

   qʰ > χ

   pʰ > f

3. Radicalization:

   q > ʡ

   χ > ħ

4. Assimilation of dentals:

   ts, ths > ss

   dz, thz > zz > later z

   ƛs > ƛʰ

   ƛz > λ

5. Some cluster changes:

   tk > kt

   tp, db, kp, gb > tv, dv, kv, gv (should be earlier than PTal?)

   kt, łt, kþ > xt

   pþ > ps

   qt > ħt

6. Second spirantization:

   tʰ > þ

   kʰ > x

   ƛʰ > ł

   ʔC > C[+long]

7. C̓ʔ, Ch > Ce usually,

   mʔ, nʔ, lʔ, rʔ > also mp, nt, lt, rt (especially in function morphemes)

   mh, nh, lh, rh > also nf, nþ, lþ, rþ

8. Loss of laterals (nearly unique to Themsaran?):

   ƛ > ŧ /ts/

   ł > þ

   λ > l, λλ > ld

   ḽ > ð, ḽḽ > lð

9. Rhotacization:

   z > r / _C[+voiced]

   dl > rl

10. Epenthetic vowels are added:

    CC[+resonant]# > CyC[+resonant]# and in many functional morphemes.

11. w > v (a velarized labiodental approximant)
12. ʁ / V_V, _C[+coronal] > v (a Themsarian-only sound change)
13. ʁ otherwise > ʕ
14. Loss of glottal stop:
    • clitic =ʔ becomes final downstep
    • vowel contractions: (~ denotes *ʔ or *h)
    • *a~ > ā
    • *a~e, *ajV *a~i > ae
    • *aj, a~ī > ai
    • *a~o, *awV(sometimes), *a~u > ao
    • *aw, > au (sometimes)
    • *e~C > eaC
    • *ej, *ew, *e~ī > ei
    • *e~u, *e~ū > ju, jū
    • *ēj > ie
    • *ē~ > ie (sometimes)
    • *i~C > ieC
    • *o~C > oaC
    • *o~i, oj, u~i, uj > ȳ
    • *o~ī > oi
    • *ow > ū
    • *u~C > uoC
    • *u~ī > ui
15. ʕ > ħ
16. vv. zz > wv z

    1. bb, dd, gg > mb, nd, ng; also qq ħħ > q ħ, lengthening previous vowel

17. Loss of word-final radicals:

C[+radical] > a / _#