Proto-Quame
The main source languages for the reconstruction of PQ are Ancient Wiebian, Thensarian, Naquian and Boot Polish.
Todo
- ablaut patterns
- combine with stress shifting rules?
- determiner endings
- verbs
- derivational morphology
- Use shorter words
- idea: tk, tq > sk, sq
- there's a lot of nt's and st's - too much?
- -əlx is gibby
- -p could disappear/CL in both Pf and Tal
- Cluster resolution - 1st and last consonant or second-to-last and last?
Morphemes
- sta= = more
- -s = verbal noun
- Thensarian infinitive -s;
- Wiebian verbal noun -s
- -x = 2sg imperative
- -aʔ, -ix = nominal affixes?
- Wiebian -e, U-e
- -lx = place nouns?
- Wiebian -er
- Thensarian -ly-m?
- ʔal and ʔalʼ 'at, near' as variants
- Wiebian er 'for' and Thensarian ar 'and'
- t- = (interrogative morpheme)
- Wiebian das words
- Thensarian tis 'who' and tas 'what'
- kʷ- = we, our (inc); emphatic; also 'here' (inc)?
- the kʷi in kʷix̌əmʼ?
- Wiebian was words
- Thensarian cis 'this man' (sounds like Clofab cesin!)
- nikt-s = 'thing' (< carry)?
- Tíogall ní 'thing; not' < Thn. nīs (idem)
- Wiebian nicht, nichts 'indeed'
- kastʼ = 'accompany'
- Wiebian Heste 'wife'
- əyn = determiner
- Wiebian ein (article)
- hay! = vocative
- Wiebian ei
- -x̌ulʼ = dual? augmentative? collective?
Overview
Phonology
Consonants
The following inventory of consonants is reconstructed for PQ by Sjawu Panzux, and is now accepted by the majority of scholars.[1] Languages such as Adetsib have the most archaic consonant inventories.
| Labial | Coronal | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| central | lateral | plain | labialized | plain | labialized | |||||
| Nasal | plain | *m | *n | |||||||
| glottalized | *mʼ /mˀ/ | *nʼ /nˀ/ | ||||||||
| Plosive | plain | *p | *t | *k | *kʷ | *q | *qʷ | *ʔ | ||
| voiced | *b | *d | *g | *gʷ | ||||||
| ejective | *pʼ | *tʼ | *kʼ | *kʷʼ | *qʼ | *qʷʼ | ||||
| Fricative | *s | *ł /ɬ/ | *x | *xʷ | *x̌ /χ/ | *x̌ʷ /χʷ/ | *h | |||
| Affricate | plain | *c /ts/ | *ƛ /tɬ/ | |||||||
| voiced | *z /dz/ | *λ /dɮ/ | ||||||||
| ejective | *cʼ /tsʼ/ | *ƛʼ /tɬʼ/ | ||||||||
| Resonant | plain | *l | *y /j/ | *w | ||||||
| glottalized | *lʼ /lˀ/ | *yʼ /jˀ/ | *wʼ /wˀ/ | |||||||
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | *i | *u | |
| Mid | *ə | ||
| Open | *a |
Suprasegmentals
Stress was phonemic.
Phonotactics
Consonant clusters were allowed and could become complex, as in the Salishan languages.
Rules:
- When initial reduplication occurs, glottalized initials deglottalize.
Grammar
Typology
The basic word order was V2, modifier-modified.
Ablaut
Much like in PIE, PQ had an ablaut system where roots were inflected in different ablaut grades.
Determiners
Should have some syncretism
can spam laryngeals and clusters
- r < PQ nʼ, wʼ, lʼ, l (+clusters)
- m < PQ m, mʼ (+clusters)
- n < PQ n (+clusters)
- s < PQ tʼ, s, c, cʼ
- e < PQ laryngeals, -p, -i
- -0 < PQ -0, -p, -a, -ə
| Ahn 'father' - masculine | ||
|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |
| Indef. nom. | eine Ahn | einen Ahn |
| Def. nom. | ein Ahn | einer Ahn |
| Indef. acc. | ein Ahn | einer Ahn |
| Def. acc. | einem Ahn | eines Ahn |
| Indef. gen. | einem Ahn | eines Ahn |
| Def. gen. | eine Ahn | einen Ahn |
| Mahl 'mother' - feminine | ||
|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |
| Indef. nom. | einem Mahl | eines Mahl |
| Def. nom. | eine Mahl | einen Mahl |
| Indef. acc. | eine Mahl | einen Mahl |
| Def. acc. | ein Mahl | einer Mahl |
| Indef. gen. | ein Mahl | einer Mahl |
| Def. gen. | einem Mahl | eines Mahl |
| Ŧeib 'chalice' - neuter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |
| Indef. nom. | ein Ŧeib | einer Ŧeib |
| Def. nom. | einem Ŧeib | eines Ŧeib |
| Indef. acc. | einem Ŧeib | eines Ŧeib |
| Def. acc. | eine Ŧeib | einen Ŧeib |
| Indef. gen. | eine Ŧeib | einen Ŧeib |
| Def. gen. | ein Ŧeib | einer Ŧeib |
Nominals
Plurals were formed by reduplication (as in Salish languages).
Plural: kawʼqs 'raven' > kəkáwʼqs
Pronouns
bi-: transitivizer? 3rd person object affix?
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
- -x - 2sg imperative
Tense/Agreement suffixes
Subject markers:
- 1sg: -n
- 2sg: -y'
- 3sg.m: -m
- 3sg.f: -c
- 3sg.n: -0
- 1pl.ex: -maʔ
- 2pl: -tkʷ
- 3pl: -ti
Object markers:
- 1sg: n-
- 2sg: l'-
- 3 (animate): b-
- 3 (neuter): k-
- 1pl.ex: m-
- 1pl.in: d-
- 2pl: c'-
Some etymologies
- 1: *x̌əmʼ; *kʷi-x̌əmʼ- 'only one'
- kʷíx̌əmʼ or kʷix̌ə́mʼ?
- 2: *tił-x̌ulʼ
- 3: *nazg
- 4: *λawpʼ
- 5: *calił
- 6: *sta-x̌əmʼ 'one more'; *qʷ’əl’
- 7: *nʼəxʷd
- 8: *lx̌ʷzitʼ
- 9: *pʼalʼgʷ
- 10: *q’əyʼ-x̌ulʼ
- step/level: *naycʼ ('20' in Talsmic)
- stone: *ƛʼecqʷ
- water: *yənqʷʼ
- day: *m’ul
References
- ^ Panzux, Sj. Fóidilinn le caoigháthadh an Cvicham