Proto-Quame

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Overview

The Pfeuno-K'aitian languages (PfK) are moderately inflecting languages that use mainly suffixing, ablaut, and infixing morphology. They are descended from Proto-Pfeuno-K'aitian (PfK).

Inspirations: Indo-European, Wakashan, Salishan.

Phylogeny

Proto-Quame (P P' B)
Proto-Quame
Proto-Talsmic (P F B)
Noble Thensarian

Nurian



Bênôcême




Andarin



Proto-Pfeunic (F P B)
Proto-South Pfeunic
Ancient Wiebian
Middle Wiebian

Reber Wiebian



Gaufian



Zwehrer



Old Cuatham

Cuatham



Schnüher



Ƨählerbraum




Hederdau



Brusingian



Kagasa



Humpback Whelsh



Old Whetmer

Whetmer



Sandscript

Sam-I-Am



Proto-Naquic (P P' B)
Naquian

Atzòpic



Tizian




Proto-Kammalic

Kammalian



Hmooby-Doo



Czechmate


geminates > ejectives

Dholuomite



fricativeless Ubykh



Bantu gib

Manx-ish



Proto-Shoeic
Boot Polish

Reboot Polish



Kashoebian




Sesamic



Phoshic



Ejective-less branch



Witcanic



Kwazamaadila



Another ejective-less branch



Chick Corean




Adetsib (ʔAdəʔcʼib)



Pingit



Tuna Sandwich




Phonology

Consonants

The following inventory of consonants is reconstructed for Proto-Pfeuno-Kitelucquian. The Quichum branch preserves the most archaic consonant inventories, whereas the Kammalic branch is the most innovative.

Labial Denti-alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
central lateral plain labialized plain labialized
Nasal plain *m *n
glottalized *mʼ *nʼ
Plosive plain *p *t *k *kʷ *q *qʷ
voiced *b *d *g *gʷ *ɢʷ
ejective *pʼ *tʼ *kʼ *kʷʼ *qʼ *qʷʼ
Fricative *s *x *xʷ *x̌ *x̌ʷ *h
Affricate plain *c
voiced *z
ejective *cʼ *ƛʼ
Approximant plain *r *l *y *w
glottalized *rʼ *lʼ *yʼ *wʼ

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close *i *ī *u *ū
Mid
Open *a *ā

Suprasegmentals

No phonemic pitch, tone or stress existed in Proto-Pfeuno-Kitelucquian.

Phonotactics

Consonant clusters were allowed and could become complex, as in the Salishan languages.

Grammar

Typology

The basic word order was V2, modifier-modified.

The morphological form of a typical Pfeuno-Kitelucquian word can be described as root<infix>-suffix-ending.

Ablaut

Much like in PIE, Proto-Pfeuno-Kitelucquian had an ablaut system where roots were inflected in different ablaut grades. The ablaut system became more complex in Quame languages as laryngeal infixes yielded new vowels.

Nominals

Proto-Raxo-Talsmic did not distinguish between nouns and adjectives. They both inflected for:

  • 5 cases: nominative, (definite) accusative, genitive, dative, predicative
  • A noun class system, indicated by different final classifier clitics. Or perhaps an animate-inanimate opposition.
  • 3 numbers: Singular, dual, plural

Nouns minimally consisted of a root and an optional infix, case/number endings and a classifier suffix. The classifier suffixes play a role in gender assignment in daughter languages.

Declension

Masculine sg: nom. -0

  • -0, -a, -ə, -i, -u, uncommonly -ā, -ī, -ū

Feminine sg: nom. -x̌

  • -ax̌, -əx̌ > -ā
  • -ix̌, -āx̌ > -ē
  • -ux̌ > -ō
  • -īx̌ > -ī
  • -ūx̌ > -ū
  • -Cx̌ > -Ca

Dual: nom. -x̌ur

so what if masculine nouns ending in long vowels get reinterpreted as feminine in pquame?

long vowel stems won't be very common

Plural -a- ablaut?

Declension A: plural -Vu

Declension B: plural -Vt

Declension C: plural -n

Declension D: singular *-0-y, pl. *-a-y

Nominal morphosyntax

The PRT nominative and accusative cases differ from the canonical nominative-accusative system in that the accusative case marks only definite or specific direct objects.

Pronouns

Verbs

Verbs were conjugated for subject, aspect, mood, evidentiality, and voice.

  • Subject agreement: For each pronoun, and 3rd person m/f/n, and perhaps collective
  • Aspects: present, preterite, stative
  • Evidentiality: direct, hearsay, unclear memory, quotative, inferential
  • Moods: {Indicative, desiderative, jussive, optative}, {mirative, subjunctive}, imperative
  • Voices: Active, mediopassive, causative

Ablaut grades

  • present: a-grade
  • preterite: i-grade
  • stative: zero-grade?
  • verbal noun: u-grade

TAM affixes

  • n: aorist infix. (Wiobian preterite n)
  • -ƛ-: dynamic affix (progressive -tł- in Naquian, future -t- in Themsarian)
  • -eʔ: stative affix

Tense/Agreement suffixes

Imperfect suffixes
Singular Dual Plural
1.ex -īn -mēk̓
1.in - ' -nci
2 -z ' -lci
3.animate -m -rih
3.inanimate -ici


Aorist suffixes
Singular Dual Plural
1.ex -īn -mēk̓
1.in - ' -nci
2 -z ' -lci
3.animate -m -rih
3.inanimate -ici


Stative suffixes
Singular Dual Plural
1.ex -nʔe -moz
1.in - ' -toz
2 -zʔe ' -li
3.animate -h -woz
3.inanimate -z -toz

Derivational morphology

  • *l verbalizer
  • *r nominalizer/adjectivalizer

Some etymologies

  • 1: *x̌əm-; *kʷi-x̌əm- 'only one'
  • 2: *tił-x̌ur-
  • 3: *nazg-
  • 4: *λawpʼ-
  • 5: *calił
  • 6: *sta-x̌əm- 'one more'; *qʷ’əl’
  • 10: *q’əyʼ-x̌ur-
  • step/level: *naycʼ ('20' in Talsmic)
  • stone: *ƛʼerqʷa
  • fur, hair, feather: *qʷ’irə
  • water: *wjənqa
  • day: *m’ul

Sample text

On a hill, a sheep that had no wool saw horses, one of them pulling a heavy wagon, one carrying a big load, and one carrying a man quickly. The sheep said to the horses: "My heart pains me, seeing a man driving horses". The horses said: "Listen, sheep, our hearts pain us when we see this: a man, the master, makes the wool of the sheep into a warm garment for himself. And the sheep has no wool". Having heard this, the sheep fled into the plain.