User:Ceige/Cauvit

Cauvit (or Saavit), made using this dictionary and a bunch of Wikipedia pages.

Etymology

Proto-Austronesian *Cau and *ita, which is generalised as a plural marker and the -a is lost after being reanalysed as some sort of unnecessary suffix to the *-it- part.

Phonological correspondences

The sound changes from Proto-Austronesian to fit an Inuit-inspired mould are not particularly complicated. To keep things as simple as possible, the target phonology for converting Austronesian etyma into Inuit-esque words is roughly Proto-Eskimo-Aleut to Proto-Eskimo. The final columns are there for examples of daughter phonemes in contemporary Inuit languages.

Proto-Austronesian
Blust & Trussel 2017
Proto-Cauwit
PEA-inspired phonology
Proto-Cauvit
PE inspired
Sauvič
Inupiaq/Natsilik inspired
Saavit
Kalaallisut inspired
p /p/ p /p/ p /p/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
b /b/ p /p/, -v- /v/ p /p/, v /v/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
m /m/ m /m/ m /m/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
w /w/ w /w/ v /v/, uv- /uv/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
t /t/ t /t/ t /t/ t /t/, +i: /tʃ/ t /t/, +i: /s/
d /d/ t /t/, -ð- /ð/ t /t/, Ø Same as Proto-Cauvit
n /n/ n /n/ n /n/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
S /s/ s /s/ s /s/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
C /t͡s/ c /t͡s/ c /t͡s/ s /s/, +i: š /ʃ/ s /s/
l /l/ l /l/ l /l/ l /l/, +i: ľ /ʎ/ l /l/, +gem: ll /ɬ(:)/
r /ɾ/ ř /sʲ~ɾ~ɟ/ Ø? t~l? ð? ?? [skræling > kalaalleq]
ñ /ɲ/ ň /ɲ/ n /n/ n /n/ +i: ň /ɲ/ n /n/
s /ç/ š /sʲ/ s /s/ s /s/ +i: š /ʃ/ s /s/
c /c͡ç/ č /t͡sʲ/ c /t͡s/ s /s/ +i: š /ʃ/ s /s/
z /ɟ͡ʝ/ ž /ɟ/ (ř?) ž /ɟ/ ž /ʐ/ (i)s(i), s- /s/, (i)Ø(v), -j- /j/?
N /lʲ/ ň /ɲ/ n /n/ n /n/ +i: ň /ɲ/ n /n/
y /j/ j /j/ j /j/, ij- /ij/? j /j/, č- /ʃ/ j /j/, s- /s/
k /k/ k /k/ k /k/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
g /g/ k /k/, -g- /ɣ~g/ k /k/, -g- /ɣ~g/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
j /ɡʲ/ ž /ɟ/ (ř?) ž /ɟ/ ž /ʐ/ (i)s(i), s- /s/, (i)Ø(v), -j- /j/?
ŋ /ŋ/ ŋ /ŋ/ Ø-, -ŋ/Ø- /ŋ~Ø/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
q /q/ q /q/ q /q/, r /ʁ/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
h /h/ h /h/ Ø Same as Proto-Cauvit
R /r/ or /ʀ/ q /q/, -r- /ʁ/ q /q/, -r- /ʁ/ q /q/, -r- /ʁ/, VØV q /q/, -r- /ʁ/, VØV /V:/
i /i/ i /i/, +uvu: e /e/ i /i/, e /e/, +lab /y/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
u /u/ u /u/, +uvu: o /o/ u /u/, o /o/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
a /a/ a /a~ɑ/ a /a~ɑ/ Same as Proto-Cauvit
e /ə/ ə /ə/ ï /ï/ +lab /y/ i /i/ i /i/
  • Red in the proto-Cauwit column: Possibly all the same consonant, depends on data from Inupiaq and Natsilingmiutut/Natsilik. Note that Kalaallisut does not allow words to start with /j/, and as a result it seems this consonant is sometimes turned into /s/. This may play a role in why it occasionally becomes /s/ in the middle of words, too, with palatalisation not being the culprit, but instead clustering and gemination: in Kalaallisut, geminate oral consonants, including /v/ and /l, frequently become devoiced. Thus if /jj/ were to form for some reason, [s] would be the expected outcome.
  • #d6e1ec in the proto-Cauvit column: Labial series
  • #d1ebeb in the proto-Cauvit column: Dental series
  • #dff1e0 in the proto-Cauvit column: Velar series
  • #f0f1df in the proto-Cauvit column: Uvular series

Clusters go here

  • s + N > Ns > Ps e.g. sn > ts, sng > ks etc.

Example Roots

English Proto-Austronesian
Blust & Trussel 2017
Proto-Cauwit
PEA-inspired phonology
Proto-Cauvit
PE inspired
Sauvič
Inupiaq/Natsilik inspired
Saavit
Kalaallisut inspired
boat *qabaŋ /qabaŋ/ *qavaŋ qavaŋ qavak qavak
evening *Rabiqi /ʀabiqi/ *qaviqi qaviqi, qavqi qaveri, qarri (qafri?) qaveri, qarri /qaχːi/
fish *Sikan /sikan/ *sikan sikan(-iq) šikat/šikaneq sikat/sikaneq
hack, cut into pieces *saksak /çakçak/ *šakšak saksak sakšak (čakšak) sassak
head, chief, first *quluh /quluh/ *quluh qulu qulu, quloq qulu, quloq
house *Rumaq /ʀumaq/ *qumaq qomaq qumaq qumaq (!qomaq)
gnash the teeth *ŋeCŋeC /ŋətsŋəts/ *ŋəcŋəc ïsŋït (ïŋsït?) isŋit (ikšit) iŋŋit/inngit (issit)
moon, month *bulaN /bulalʲ/ *pulaň pulan pulat pulat
nose *ujuŋ /uɡʲuŋ/ *užuŋ užuŋ užuk usuk / ujuk / uvuk
person *Cau /tsau/ *cau cau sau(q) saa(q)
pine tree *saleŋ /çaləŋ/ *šaləŋ salïŋ salit, salik salit, salik
satiated *besuR /bəçuʀ/ *pəšuʀ pïsuʀ pisoq pisoq
sea *tenem(e) /tənəm(ə)/ *tənəm(ə) tïnïm (tïnmï) tinip (timmi) tinip (timmi)
shark *qiSu /qisu/ *qisu qisu qesu qesu
sky *laŋiC /laŋits/ *laŋis laŋit laŋič laŋit
tree, wood *kaSiw /kasiw/ *kasiw kasip kašip kasip
urine *iSeq /isəq/ *isəq iseq išeq ~ iseq iseq
year, season, heaven *kawaS /kawas/ *kawas kavat kavat kavat

Example Grammar

  • -Ø = absolute
  • -(a? ə+lab –> u in PEA stage?)p = transitive actor (from pa-, causative)
  • -q = optional definite marker? From qu
  • -it = from ita, plural marker?
  • -nu = genitive? (Greenlandic has ergative, instr, all, loc, abl, pros, equat...)