Suwáá/Wordlist
The Azzanic languages are a family of consonantal-root languages spoken on the Wiebian subcontinent, as well as on a set of islands off of the North Wiebian Sea, including Tergetian, ʔAškāsīnių (čegānų ʔAškāsīnių) and Rozzino. This family is speculated to have been part of a sprachbund connected to the Talsmic languages. They are descended from Proto-Azzanic (PAzz).
Origin
The Azzanic languages bear the name of the legendary hero Azàn, reconstructed as *ʔAzzānum, to whom Tergetians and ʔAškāsīnians trace their descent.
Phylogeny
ʔAškāsīnių in particular is extremely conservative, distinguishing between all 28 consonants of Proto-Azzanic.
Phonology
Consonants
Proto-Azzanic is reconstructed with 28 consonants.
| Labial | Denti-alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| central | lateral | ||||||||
| Nasal | *m | *n | |||||||
| Plosive | plain | *p | *t | *ṭ | *k | *q | *ʔ | ||
| voiced | *b | *d | *ḍ | *g | *ɢ | ||||
| Fricative | voiceless | *þ *s | *ś | *h | |||||
| voiced | *ð *z | *ź | |||||||
| Affricate | plain | *c | *ć | ||||||
| voiced | *ʒ | *ʒ́ | |||||||
| Approximant | *w | *y | |||||||
| Liquid | *r | *l | |||||||
Consonant correspondences
| PAzz | *p | *b | *t | *d | *þ | *ð | *s | *z | *c | *ʒ | *ś | *ź | *ć | *ʒ́ | *ṭ | *ḍ | *k | *g | *q | *ɢ | *m | *n | *l | *r | *y | *w | *ʔ | *h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tergetian | p | b | t | d | t | d | s | z | s | z | ś | ź | ŧ | đ | ṭ | ḍ | c | g | q | ġ | m | n | l | r | ˀ, coloring | f, coloring | ˀ | ˀ |
| Rozzino | p | b | t | d | f | v | s | ż | z | ż | sci | sgi | ci | gi | ci | gi | c(h) | g(h) | qu | gu | m | n | l | r | gi, coloring | v, coloring | [ʔ] | h [ʔ] |
| ʔAškāsīnių | f | b | t | d | þ | ð | s | z | c | dz | š | ž | č | dž | ṭ | ḍ | k | g | q | ʕ | m | n | l | r | j | v | ʔ | h |
Vowels
Similar to Baltic:
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | *i *ī | *u *ū |
| Mid | *ō | |
| Open | *e *ē | *a *ā |
| Diphthongs | *ey *ew | *ay *aw |
Suprasegmentals
Stress fell on the first heavy (CVː or CVC) syllable (the last syllable was disregarded); in the absence of a heavy syllable, the stress fell on the first syllable.
Phonotactics
Grammar
Proto-Azzanic had Philippine alignment as does Rozzino and ʔAškāsīnių. Verb-initial clauses were the norm as in Semitic and Austronesian languages. Primitive Tergetian had changed this alignment into a nominative-accusative system.
Nouns
Nouns and adjectives declined for three cases: direct, indirect and genitive.
Verbs
Verbs had an extensive trigger system marked by various binyanim. Verbs also inflected for the tense and subject (the argument in the direct case).
Syntax
There was an emphatic clitic =is added to verbs.