Wascotl
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This entry contains reconstructed words and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence. |
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| Wascotl | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Pollasena Discord server |
| Reconstruction of | Wasc languages |
| Region | eastern Pulsuria or Merizon Mountains |
| Era | -4000 to -2000 MT |
Reconstructed ancestor | one of Pollasena's primary language families
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Wascotl /wɑˈʃoʊt, wɑˈʃoʊtəl/ is the reconstructed ancestor of the Wasc languages. To contribute and/or make a descendant, please join the Pollasena server linked to the side.
Etymology
The glossonym *wasc-otl is reconstructed, from a root *wasc- referring to the Wasc ethnic group and the animate suffix *-otl
Phonology
Wascotl phonology is most often reconstructed as follows.
| Labial | Alveolar | Lateral | Palatal | Velar | Labialized velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | *m | *n | (*n) | ||||
| Stop | *p | *t | *k | *qu | *' | ||
| Affricate | *c | *tł | |||||
| Fricative | *f | *s | *ł | *sc | *h | ||
| Approximant | *j | *w | |||||
| Liquid | *r | *l | |||||
- The realization of *n likely depended on following consonants, varying between [ŋ] before (labio)velar and glottal consonants and [n] before other consonants, and was possibly in free variation before vowels.
- Based on allophones of *n and *e, in early Wascotl *' *h may have been uvular.
- [ç] was likely an allophone of *h before *i.
- Whether *j and *l were approximants or voiced fricatives is uncertain.
| Front | Central | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | *i | *ī | *į | ||
| Mid | *e | *ē | *ę | *o | *ō |
| Low | *a | *ā | |||
- Length was most likely the distinction between *i and *ī etc., but phonation has also been proposed.
- [ɤ ɤː] were likely allophones of *e *ē after (labio)velar and glottal consonants.
- The realization of *a *ā is uncertain but most likely back [ɑ ɑː].
- A marginal vowel *u may also have occurred as an allophone of *w.
Stress
Stress in early Wascotl was most likely in free variation, later shifting to final or antepenultimate syllables.
Phonotactics
Wascotl is reconstructed as having (C)V(C) syllables; the lack of evidence for *S' clusters suggests that *' was disallowed after stop consonants.
Morphology
Alignment
Wascotl morphosyntactic alignment is not reconstructable, but most descendants have nominative-accusative alignment.
Suffix pairs
Each speech-part suffix had full and reduced forms. Whether alternations in these pairs marked any grammatical difference in early Wascotl in unknown; later they had already lost any such distinction with each word in most pairs being semantically distinct, but some noun pairs suggest a diminutive-augmentative split. The reduction or retention in each pair may also have been the result of an earlier infix lost without trace in the later language.
Nouns and pronouns
All nouns ended in a suffix marking one of five classes as follows.
| D | O | H | A | I | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | *-ekan | *-ila | *-que | *-otl | *-scati |
| Reduced | *-kan | *-la | *-e | *-tl | *-ati |
Plural nouns and pronouns were marked by final syllable reduplication.
Pronouns
The following pronouns are reconstructed.
| 1 | 2 | D | O | H | A | I | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SG | *cek | *ques | *a'jō | *inał | *pas | *anki | *o |
| PL | *cek-cek | *ques-ques | *a'jō-jō | *inał-nał | *pas-pas | *anki-ki | *o-o |
Verbs
All verbs ended in a suffix *-i or *-si.
Agreement
The following verb agreement prefixes are reconstructed. These prefixes appear to be derived from earlier prefixed pronouns.
| >1 | >2 | >D | >O | >H | >A | >I | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *∅- | *ceque- | *ceka'jō- | *cetnał- | *ceppa- | *canki- | *co- |
| 2 | *quer- | *∅- | *quera'jō- | *querił- | *quepa- | *queran- | *quo- |
| D | *a'jōcek- | *a'jōques- | *∅- | *a'jōwin- | *a'jōpa- | *a'jōwan- | *a'jōwo- |
| O | *inac- | *inaque- | *inała'jō- | *∅- | *inapla- | *inałan- | *no- |
| H | *parek- | *paque- | *pasa'jō- | *parin- | *∅- | *panki- | *po- |
| A | *ancek- | *anque- | *anka'jō- | *ankin- | *ankipa- | *∅- | *o- |
| I | *oce- | *oque- | *owa'jō- | *owinał- | *opa- | *owanki- | *∅- |
Adjectives and adverbs
All adjectives ended in a suffix *-cosc or *-osc and agreed with their noun in class. Agreement prefixes are reconstructed as follows, likely derived the same way as the verbal agreement prefixes.
| D | O | H | A | I |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *a'jō- | *ina- | *pa- | *an- | *o- |
Whether adverbs were a category separate from adjectives and/or verbs is unknown.
Prepositions
All adpositions likely preceded their head.
Negation
A negative particle or clitic *tlenō is reconstructed, but rules on its use are unknown.
Numerals
Early Wascotl likely had base-6 numerals. The source of *ę- in later numerals and *łi is uncertain , but the latter was likely from a bare form of a root *łi-.
Number marking on numerated nouns and pronouns was likely optional. ReduplicationProductive full reduplication may have occurred in Wascotl, but variation in the use of full reduplication in descendants make its function in Wascotl unreconstructable. SyntaxConstituent orderWascotl word order was most likely SVO, and this order was likely strict based on the lack of case marking in reconstructions. Noun and verb phrasesAdjectives and numerals most likely preceded their noun, and possessors likely followed their noun, though this order may have been flexible. Where adverbs were placed relative to their head is unknown. Resources |