Proto-Almaic
Proto-Almean is the common ancestor of all the Almean languages, a family of languages widespreas in the Yolder and Ausmiran continents.
Proto-Almean is estimated to have been spoken from around 5000 to 3500 a.E., and it's original homeland may have been the Almeran plains from which the language derives its name. Its descendant languages include Angaran and Yohari.
Phonemic inventory
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palat. | Velar | Uvular | Glot. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unv. | vce. | unv. | vce. | vce. | unv. | vce. | unv. | vce. | unv. | |
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | |||||||
| Ejectives | p’ | t’ | k’ | |||||||
| Stops | p | b | t | d | k | g | q | ʔ | ||
| Fricatives | f | v | s | z | x | h | ||||
| Liquids | l | ʀ | ||||||||
Vowels
| Front | Center | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| rnd | unr. | unr. | |
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Open | a |
Syllable structure
((h)C) V (N)
- C: a consonant, which may be pre-aspirated word-medially.
- V: a vowel
- N: is a nasal consonant with unspecified place of articulation.
Prosody
Stress usually falls on the second to last syllable, unless the word ends in a nasal vowel or preaspirates suffixes, in which case it falls on the last syllable.
Syntax
- Word order
- SOV
- Noun Adjective
- Preposition Noun
- Noun Possessor
Grammar
Pronouns
- sa – I (1st p. singular)
- sana – we (1st p. plural inc.)
- sado – we (1st p. plural excl.)
- ika – you (2nd p. singular)
- ikana – you (2nd p. dual)
- ikado – you (2nd p. plural)
- go – he/she (3rd p. singular)
- gona – they (3rd p. dual)
- godo – they (3rd p. plural)
- a – it/that (3rd p. singular)
- ahdo – they/those (3rd p. dual)
- ahna – they/those (3rd p. plural)
- Determiners
- Only an indefinite article is used
- Number
- Marked by particles, three different forms: singular, dual, plural
- Tenses
- Present, unmarked; past and habitual, regularly marked by affixes; future
Samples
Tenju ohdattali sin
/ˈte.ɲu oh.daˈt’a.li sĩ/
| tenju | oh-dattali | sin |
| mister | indf-animal | see |
“The mister sees an animal””
“The North Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger, when a traveler came along wrapped in a warm cloak.”
“They agreed that the one who first succeeded in making the traveler take his cloak off should be considered stronger than the other.”
“Then the North Wind blew as hard as he could, but the more he blew the more closely did the traveler fold his cloak around him;”
“and at last the North Wind gave up the attempt. Then the Sun shined out warmly, and immediately the traveler took off his cloak.”
“And so the North Wind was obliged to confess that the Sun was the stronger of the two.”