Zzean

Zzean /ˈθiːən/ is an analytic monosyllabic tonal language in the Akya-Woms family, spoken in Aem-Zmaə. It is head-final and SVO.

Proto-Trans-Sarnathian

Proto-Trans-Sarnathian was spoken 3000 years BP.

Fortunately for Angaian historical linguists, extremely conservative relatives of Zzean within the Trans-Sarnathian branch are spoken in highly mountainous areas. They allow much of Proto-Trans-Sarnathian to be reconstructed.

Todo

h₂aw-bʰorḱ 'enclosure' → Proto-Trans-Sarnathian obʰroc → Late Old Zzean əvʰɣɑc → Middle Zzean vəjt → EModZz fi(breathy, final stop tone) → ModZz fi͇ (tone class is D2) 'house'

ḱobreb → PTS k.brɛb → kbəb → p'ʌb → pà (E3) ‘cost’

• PTS ə → w
• PTS i → Modern Zzean ⟨ey⟩
• PTS e → i
• PTS a → Modern Zzean ⟨wa⟩
• PTS o → Modern Zzean ⟨a⟩
• PTS u → ɨ → Modern Zzean /i/ ⟨i⟩
• PTS ew → ea
• PTS aw → ea
• PTS ow → wa
• PTS ej → ay
• PTS aj → e
• PTS oj → w

Phonology

Vowels

i ɨ u ə e o a ē ō ā ī ɨ­̄ ū əi əɨ əu aj aɨ au

→ Early Old Zzean e ə o ʌ ɛ ɔ a iə uə ɨə i ɨ u əi əɨ əu ai aɨ au → Late Old Zzean e ʌ o ɐ ə ɑ æ iə uə ɨə ɪ ə ʊ i ɨ u ai aɨ au (Praveenize /ɛ/ → /ə/ → /ʌ/ → /ɑ/ → /æ/ → /iə/ and /u/ → /i/)

Grammar

Proto-Trans-Sarnathian switched to using Colloquial Welsh-like constructions using inherited verbal nouns. Old finite verb forms were lost by the Proto-Trans-Sarnathian stage.

Lexicon

• xjeʔ ‘1SG’ (From PAW disjunctive 1SG *h₂yeh₁); Zzean zhi̬
• PAW *sleh₃s → PTS *s-lō-s → Old Zzean *sluəs → lu(C2) → lŵ 'to sit’
• h₂aw-bʰorḱ 'enclosure' → Proto-Trans-Sarnathian obʰroc → Late Old Zzean əvʰɣɑc → Middle Zzean vəjt → EModZz fi(breathy, final stop tone) → ModZz fi͇ (tone class is D2) 'house'
• ḱobreb → PTS k.brɛb → kbəw → p'ʌw → pà (E3) ‘to buy'
• roy ‘in’ → PTS s-roj → rrw̖y ‘interior’
• bʰetr → PTS bʰēr → PTS bʰiən → piən (A2) → piw (A2) → pe̖a ‘(higher register) in (postposition)’; → dialectal pjuː → thw̖ ‘at (postposition)’