User:Ceige/Proto-Kamut
Grammar
Nouns
Early Proto-Kamut Abstract Cases
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Semantic Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolutive | -ə | -ikə | -itə | [nom/abs] |
| Objective | -əm | -ikəm | -itəm | [acc/dat] |
| Genitive | -ən | -ikən | -itən | [gen/nom] |
| Nominative | -əp | -ikəp | -itəp | [nom/erg] |
| Partitive | -ət | -ikət | -itət | [abl/par/gen/top] |
| Instrumental | -ək | -ikək | -itək | [ins/loc] |
| Locative | -əi | -ikəi | -itəi | [loc/ins] |
| Dative | -əu | -ikəu | -itəu | [dat/all] |
Late Proto-Kamut Abstract Cases
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Semantic Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolutive | -ə | -ik | -it | [nom/abs] |
| Objective | -əm | -ikəm | -itəm | [acc/dat/ben] |
| Genitive | -ən | -ikən | -itən | [gen/nom/ben] |
| Topic | -ət | -ikət | -itət | [nom/erg] |
| Nominative | -əpə | -ikəpə | -itəpə | [nom/erg] |
| Ablative | -ətə | -ikətə | -itətə | [abl/par/gen/ben] |
Late Proto-Kamut Spacial Cases
This case system arose through the agglutination of case markers; this specific set survives in the core Kamut branch. There existed more beyond these, like those in the Ayut branch (-minu and -minət; -minu and -minta). These are just examples.
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locative | -mi | -ikmi | -itmi | at |
| Ablative | -mət | -ikmt | -itmt | from |
| Inessive | -min | -ikmin | -itmin | in |
| Illative₁ | -minu | -ikminu | -itminu | into |
| Elative₁ | -minət | -ikminət | -itminət | outwards |
| Illative₂ | -minən | -ikminən | -itminən | into |
| Instrumental | -mik | -ikmik | -itmik | by means of |
| Dative | -mu | -ikmu | -itmu | to, for, at |
| Allative | -mut | -ikmut | -itmut | to, towards |
| Exessive | -mun | -ikmun | -itmun | out, outside of |
| Elative₂ | -munən | -ikmunən | -itmunən | outwards |
| Prosecutive | -muk | -ikmuk | -itmuk | by way of |
| Equative | -tut | -iktut | -ittut | like, as |
| Essive | -tun | -iktun | -ittun | to be |
| Abessive | -tək | -iktək | -ittət | without, -less |
Some etymological notes on -tut vs -tun: it is believed that -tut was used basically to say "to the party, [I am] from (related to) it", while -tun was used to say "to the party, [I am] of (part of it) it", where "party" means "a selection made using the partitive case". Thus, the mechanics are essentially to make a selection, use -u (dative) to point to it, and then state one's affiliation to it (-t-u-(t/n)).
With time, however, the meanings drifted, with -tut becoming an equative and giving an impression of similarity or being a member of a larger group, and with -tun becoming an essive and giving an impression of essence.
Additional Cases
These cases do not follow symmetry or fit in a traditional paradigm.
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locative-Genitive | -mien | -ngien | -nien | of a place, hailing from |
The additional cases are more derivational than inflectional. While they can be used inflectionally, cases like the LOG/GEN -mien are lessed used in inflection where the genitive or locative would be better, and are instead used in things like adjectives and nouns more often (-mien in particular might translate to -ian or -ese).
Combined Cases
| Case | Singular | Dual | Plural | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolutive | -V | -(i)k | -(i)t | [nom/abs] |
| Objective | -(e)m | -(i)k(em) | -(i)t(em) | [acc/dat/ben] |
| Genitive | -(e)n | -(i)ken | -(i)ten | [gen/nom/ben] |
| Nominative | -(e)p | -(i)kep | -(i)tep | [nom/erg] |
| Dialectal Nominative | -(e)pa | -(i)ppa/kka | -(i)ppa | [nom/erg] |
| Ablative | -(e)ta | -(i)kka | -(i)tta | [abl/par/gen/ben] |
| Locative | -mi | -ngi | -ni | at, with |
| Ablative | -mit | -ngit | -nit | from |
| Inessive | -min | -ngin | -nin | in |
| Illative | -minen | -nginen | -ninen | into |
| Instrumental | -mik | -ngik | -nik | by means of |
| Dative | -mu | -ngu | -nu | to, for, at |
| Allative | -mut | -ngut | -nut | to, towards |
| Exessive | -mun | -ngun | -nun | out, outside of |
| Elative | -munen | -ngunen | -nunen | outwards |
| Prosecutive | -muk | -nguk | -nuk | by way of |
| Locative-Genitive | -mien | -ngien | -nien | of a place, hailing from |
In total, there are approximately 15-17 cases (45-51 declension items), depending on who is describing the language.
Nominalisation of Phrases
An entire phrase in Kamut can be nominalised using -(a)no. This has been noted as a similarity between Kamut and Japanese (-no), although others have explained it as being an ablauted emphatic form of the Genitive ending.
Thus, kamungunen ano (bear-du-obl-ela nmz) = "the thing about exiting the two bears".
Alternatively, -(u)va exists, although this is used as a quotation and question marker amongst other uses. This can be clarified by prosody (questions have a change in pitch) or by context and judgement calls by the listener.
Kamunienami va... = "as for that thing you said about being with the Kamut people...".
Verbs
The default form of the verb is tyically given an aorist-indicative TAM assignment.
Personal Endings
| Person | Singular | Dual | Plural | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Person Strong | -mi | -miik | -miit | |
| First Person Weak | -mi | -viik | -viit | |
| First Person Proximal | -kə | -kəik | -kəit | |
| Non-First Person Person Strong | -tə | -təik | -təit | |
| Non-First Person Person Medial | -sə | -səik | -səit | |
| Fourth Person Traditioanl | -nə | -nəik | -nəit | |
| Third Person Distal | -ənə | -ənəik | -ənəit |
Vocabulary
Numerals
Apart from the singular, dual and plural numbers, the proto-language also possessed multiple sets of numerals for counting. These were suffixed variously, with -ti and -ma being popular. Furthermore, these suffixes could be combined with the partitive, both for simply counting individuals, and for making note of how many individuals formed a collective. This thus yielded -tit and -mat.
The two main attested sets of numerals are called the "Herder" and "Traveller" numerals respectively. The defining characteristics of the two are that Herder numerals can be quite long and rhythmic, while Traveller numerals are often two to three morae long, and having more patterns; however, both sets of numbers appear to share a tendency to internally derive new numbers and avoid unique roots.
It became common in later stages of the proto-language to mix number sets with each other and with loaned number sets too.
Herder Numerals
| Numeral | Proto-Form | Later forms | Etymology | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (s)in- | sinni, simma | si-(i)n- | "one" |
| 2 | n(i)ik- | niksi, ninga | (i)n-ik- | "two ones" |
| 3 | til- | tilli, tilma | (i)t-il-* | "with plural" |
| 4 | tuk- | tuksi, tunga | tu-k- | "with two" |
| 5 | intukak- | innukaksi, innukanga | (s)in-tuk-ək- | "one with four" |
| 6₁ | tilik- | tiliksi, tilinga | til-ik- "two threes" | |
| 6₂ | n(i)ikitil- | niitilli, niitilma | n(i)ik-i-til- | "three by two" |
| 7 | tiltuk- | tilluksi, tillunga | til-tuk- | "three-four" |
| 8 | tukik- | tukiksi, tukinga | tuk-ik- | "two fours" |
| 9₁ | inəkänlä | ingälläsi, ingälläma | (s)in-ək-än-lä (nikikək)- | "(ten) not with one" |
| 9₂ | inətək- | innaksi, innanga | (s)in-ət-ək- (nikikək)- | "(ten) without one" |
| 10 | nikikək- | niikaksi, niikanga | n(i)ik-i-((s)in-tu)k-ək- | "five by two" |
Numerals beyond 5 are less regularly attested.
Traveller Numerals
| Numeral | Proto-Form | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ipti | ipsi | "one" |
| 2 | (i)pikti | (i)piksi | "two-ones" |
| 3 | mitti | mitsi | "three" |
| 4 | jotti | jotsi | "four" |
| 5 | tipti | tipsi | "five" |
| 6 | maikti | maiksi | "two-threes" |
| 7 | nopti | nopsi | "seven" |
| 8 | jaukti | jauksi | "two-fours" |
| 9 | qapti | qapsi | "nine" |
| 10₁ | tipikti | tipiksi | "ten" |
| 10₂ | tupukti | tuuksi | "ten" |