Overview

The Gamedan languages are moderately inflecting languages that use mainly suffixing and infixing morphology.

Inspirations: Indo-European, Semitic, Native American languages

Phylogeny

Proto-Gamedan (P P' B)
Proto-Talsmic (P F B)
Proto-Central Talsmic

Noble Themsarian?



Qelorian



Proto-Peripheral Talsmic

Snaħħian



Núrian?




Proto-Ractamic (P P' B)
Raxic

Atzòpic



Tizian




Proto-Bonzic

Dili



Upur (an attempt at a language with clitic complexes)



Proto-Koiƛoq̓ic

Beƛoq̓ic


Proto-Wiobic (F B P)

Wiobian?





Phonology

Consonants

An inventory of 35 consonants is reconstructed for Proto-Raxo-Talsmic. The Koiƛoq̓ic/Coytłochic branch preserves the most archaic consonant inventories, whereas the Talsmic branch and Wiobian are the most innovative.

Proto-Raxo-Talsmic reconstructed consonants
Labial Denti-alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
central lateral plain labialized plain labialized
Nasal *m *n
Plosive plain *p *t *k *kʷ *q *qʷ
voiced *b *d *g *gʷ *ɢʷ
ejective *p̓ *t̓ *k̓ *k̓ʷ *q̓ *q̓ʷ
Fricative voiceless *s *h
voiced *z
Affricate plain *c
ejective *c̓ *ƛ̓
Approximant *y *w
Liquid *r *l

*m *n *l *r could be syllabic.

Consonant correspondences

PGam *p *b *p̓ *t *d *t̓ *s *z *c *c̓ *ƛ̓ *k *g *k̓ *kʷ *gʷ *k̓ʷ *q *q̓ *qʷ *ɢʷ *q̓ʷ *m *n *l *r *y *w *h
Rax p, u- b ph, hu- t d th z z tz tzh ł l tłh tx x txh qu gu hu c g ch qu gu hu m, -n n l r y u h Ø
PTal *p *b *ɸ *t *d *θ *h *z, *r *s *s *h *λ *t, *k *ł *k *g *x * * * *q *ʁ *χ *q *ʁ *χ *m *n *l *r *j *w *ʔ *h
Wio f p b þ t d s, ß, r Ø ß ß s z s ɟ h k g ƕ qu w h [ʔ] [ʔ] ƕ qu w m n l r j w [ʔ] [ʔ]
PBon *p *b * *t *d * *x *ɣ *s * *s *z *č *čʼ *k *g * *p *b * *ʔ *ʔ *ʔ *ʔʷ *ʔʷ *ʔʷ *m *n *l *l *y *w Ø Ø
PKoi *p *b * *t *d * *s *z *c * *ł *λ *ƛ *ƛ̓ *k *g * *k *g * *q *ɢ * *q *ɢ * *m *n *l *r *y *w *ʔ *h

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close *i *ī *u *ū
Mid *e *ē *o *ō
Open *a *ā

Suprasegmentals

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

Phonotactics

Consonant clusters were allowed, but limited.

Grammar

Typology

The basic word order was SOV.

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

Nominals

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

  • 9 cases: nominative, (definite) accusative, genitive, dative, locative, ablative-comitative, allative, instrumental, adverbial
  • 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

Declension A: plural -Vu

Declension B: plural -Vd

Declension C: plural -n

Declension D: singular -i, plural -e

Case suffixes
Singular Plural
Nominative Ø
Accusative *-z
Genitive *-ʔ, *-k
Dative *-ƛ
Locative-Comitative *-ksi
Ablative *-hn
Allative *-cti
Instrumental *-hli
Predicative *-ʔzi
Adverbial *-ʔzi

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: Aorist, habitual, progressive, stative
  • Evidentiality: direct, hearsay, unclear memory, quotative, inferential
  • Moods: {Indicative, desiderative, jussive, optative}, {mirative, subjunctive}, imperative
  • Voices: Active, mediopassive, causative

Personal 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