User:Chrysophylax/Proto-Lusanic

Proto-Lúsanic, also Proto-Lusanic, (sometimes abbreviated PLu.), is the reconstructed ancestral language of all the Lúsanian languages, including Aurónian, Finian and the Limbe-Mereian languages. Proto-Lúsanic is classified as being part of the “centum” languages (similarly to Italic, Celtic, Germanic, etc.), having merged the traditional palatovelar and plain series of the Proto-Indo-European plosives.

The reconstruction of Proto-Lúsanic is currently being undertaken but suffers from a lack of recorded sources as written material is mostly attested from one branch (Finio-Dhannic).

Sound changes from Proto-Indo-European

Late Proto-Indo-European

Many of these changes were shared by other branches of the Indo-European family.

• “Palatovelars” merge with the “plain” velars (centumization):

• /ḱ/ → /k/
• /ǵ/ → /g/
• /ǵʱ/ → /gʱ/

• Two adjacent dentals become *ss:

• /dt/ → /ss/
• /tt/ → /ss/
• /dd/ → /ss/

• metathesis of “thorn clusters” (TK > KT, e.g. *h₂rtkos → *h₂rktos)

• Loss of laryngeals before a following vowel:

• /h₁e/ → /e/ ~ /i/
• /h₂e/ → /a/
• /h₃e/ → /o/

• Loss of laryngeals after a preceding vowel, lengthening and colouring it:

• /eh₁/ → /ē/
• /eh₂/ → /ā/
• /eh₃/ → /ō/

Early Proto-Lúsanic

• Loss of laryngeals between two plosives (CHC > CVC)

  /h₁/ → /i/

  /h₂/ → /a/

  /h₃/ → /o/

• Labiovelars and sequences of velar + *w merge:

• /kʷ/ → /kw/
• /gʷ/ → /gw/
• /gʷʱ/ → /gʱw/

• Sequences of *s + plosive simplify to *ss

• /st/ → /ss/
• /sk/ → /ss/

• *m becomes *n before dentals and at the end of words.

• /m̩d/ → /n̩d/
• /m̩t/ → /n̩t/
• /m#/ → /n#/

• Sequences of a nasal and velar reduce to *nn in a two-step process.

1. velars turn into a nasal velar
   • /nk/ → /nŋ/
   • /ng/ → /nŋ/
   • /ngʱ/ → /nŋ/
2. nasal velars are de-velarized after a nasal
   • /nŋ/ → /nn/

Proto-Lúsanic

• Epethentic *a inserted before syllabic resonants except if blocked by preceding *Vr:

• /m̩/ → /am/
• /n̩/ → /an/
• /l̩/ → /al/
• /r̩/ → /ar/

• Merger of short *a into *ā in closed and stressed syllables:

  /CáC/ → /Cā́C/

• labiovelar sequences become *w intervocalically:

• /kw/ → /w/
• /gw/ → /w/

• Fricativization and devoicing of syllable-initial velar consonants before *w, *r, *l:

• /kw/ → /hw/
• /gw/ → /hw/
• /gʱw/ → /hw/

• All words become stressed on the first syllable (e.g. *gʰortós → *gʰórtos)

• Lowering of *e to *a if the following syllable has *a (e.g *ésanti → *ásanti)

• Raising of *o after *w

• /wo/ → /wu/

• Voicing of plosives between a resonant and a vowel (RCV > RC_+voicedV)

Late Proto-Lúsanic

These features spread somewhat unevenly among the daughter branches of Proto-Lúsanic, but still probably constituted a single intelligible dialect continuum.

• Voicing of word-medial and word-final *s

• /s/ → /z/

• Loss of word-initial *h when followed by a liquid

• /hl/ → /l/
• /hr/ → /r/

• Merger of *sp into *ss

Examples

PIE	Proto-Lusanic	Example
		Proto-Lusanic	Descendants
*p	*p	pā́tēr	Dh. pathair
*t	*t	túsdandi	Dh. tasandh
*k	*k	káptōd	Fin. haftaa (< earlier *kaftaa)

Morphology

Noun

A minor collapse of the athematic/thematic distinction is observed, e.g. the thematic ablative -ad is here found on a traditionally athematic stem.

pátēr (Brightraven 2013)
Number	Singular		Plural
Nominative	pátēr, *~īr		páteris
Genitive	pátaris		pātaroun
Accusative	pátern		pā́terans
Dative	pátarei		pátaribhī
Instrumental	pátarei		pátaribhos
Ablative	pátarad		pátaribhos

Verb

Loss of the middle voice r-endings.

Creation of the future tense from former desiderative -s-.

Numerals

• 'one':
• 'two':
• 'three':
• 'four': *wetwōr (> Finian vissaa wissâ, Limbe ωλυηρ ōluār, Dhannuá uéduór )
• 'five': *pennwe (> Old Dhannuá PENVE penwe, Finian finni finni)
• 'six':
• 'seven':

Schleicher's PIE fable rendered into Proto-Lusanic

Here follows a 'direct' phonetic evolution of the reconstructed PIE text in Proto-Lusanic.

Proto-Lusanic (Bhitar Morningway)

[Warai] Owiz, éwūzwe, wésjo wŭ́lnā ne est, éwunz spéket, aiwón warún wúghon weghondan, aiwónwe méghan bhóron, aiwonwe ghámenn, ṓku bhérondan. Owiz nu éwaibhoz wéuwet: kḗr aghnuda moy éwunz agondan néran wídandey. Ewoz tu weuwont: klúdhi, owei, kḗr aghnuda ánsmei wídandibhoz. anḗr, pódiz, awjon rṓ wúlnān sebhi warnéudi nu wéramon wéstron néghi awion wulnā ésdi. Tód hluwuz owiz agron bhugét.