User:Chrysophylax/Proto-Lusanic

From Linguifex
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Proto-Lúsanic, also Proto-Lusanic, (sometimes abbreviated PLu.), is the reconstructed ancestral language of all the Lúsanian languages, including Aurónian, Finian and the Limbe-Mereian languages. Proto-Lúsanic is classified as being part of the “centum” languages (similarly to Italic, Celtic, Germanic, etc.), having merged the traditional palatovelar and plain series of the Proto-Indo-European plosives.

The reconstruction of Proto-Lúsanic is currently being undertaken but suffers from a lack of recorded sources as written material is mostly attested from one branch (Finio-Dhannic).

Sound changes from Proto-Indo-European

Late Proto-Indo-European

Many of these changes were shared by other branches of the Indo-European family.

  • “Palatovelars” merge with the “plain” velars (centumization):
  • /ḱ/ → /k/
  • /ǵ/ → /g/
  • /ǵʱ/ → /gʱ/
  • Two adjacent dentals become *ss:
  • /dt/ → /ss/
  • /tt/ → /ss/
  • /dd/ → /ss/
  • metathesis of “thorn clusters” (TK > KT, e.g. *h₂rtkos → *h₂rktos)
  • Loss of laryngeals before a following vowel:
  • /h₁e/ → /e/ ~ /i/
  • /h₂e/ → /a/
  • /h₃e/ → /o/
  • Loss of laryngeals after a preceding vowel, lengthening and colouring it:
  • /eh₁/ → /ē/
  • /eh₂/ → /ā/
  • /eh₃/ → /ō/

Early Proto-Lúsanic

  • Loss of laryngeals by vocalisation between two plosives (CHC > CVC)
    /h₁/ → /i/
    /h₂/ → /a/
    /h₃/ → /o/
  • Labiovelars and sequences of velar + *w merge:
  • /kʷ/ → /kw/
  • /gʷ/ → /gw/
  • /gʷʱ/ → /gʱw/
  • Sequences of *s + plosive simplify to *ss
  • /st/ → /ss/
  • /sk/ → /ss/
  • *m becomes *n before dentals and at the end of words.
  • /m̩d/ → /n̩d/
  • /m̩t/ → /n̩t/
  • /m#/ → /n#/
  • Sequences of a nasal and velar reduce to *nn in a two-step process.
  1. velars turn into a nasal velar
    • /nk/ → /nŋ/
    • /ng/ → /nŋ/
    • /ngʱ/ → /nŋ/
  2. nasal velars are de-velarized after a nasal
    • /nŋ/ → /nn/

Proto-Lúsanic

  • Epethentic *a inserted before syllabic resonants except if blocked by preceding *Vr:
  • /m̩/ → /am/
  • /n̩/ → /an/
  • /l̩/ → /al/
  • /r̩/ → /ar/
  • Merger of short *a into *ā in closed and stressed syllables:
    /CáC/ → /Cā́C/
  • labiovelar sequences become *w intervocalically:
  • /kw/ → /w/
  • /gw/ → /w/
  • Fricativization and devoicing of syllable-initial velar consonants before *w, *r, *l:
  • /kw/ → /hw/
  • /gw/ → /hw/
  • /gʱw/ → /hw/
  • All words become stressed on the first syllable (e.g. *gʰortós → *gʰórtos)
  • Lowering of *e to *a if the following syllable has *a (e.g *ésanti → *ásanti)
  • Raising of *o after *w
  • /wo/ → /wu/
  • Voicing of plosives between a resonant and a vowel (RCV > RC+voicedV)

Late Proto-Lúsanic

These features spread somewhat unevenly among the daughter branches of Proto-Lúsanic, but still probably constituted a single intelligible dialect continuum.

  • Voicing of word-medial and word-final *s
  • Loss of word-initial *h when followed by a liquid
  • /hl/ → /l/
  • /hr/ → /r/
  • Merger of *sp into *ss
  1. ^ Only word medial in Finian

Examples

PIE Proto-Lusanic Example
Proto-Lusanic Descendants
*p *p pátēr Dh. pathair
*t *t túsdandi Dh. tasandh
*k *k káptōd Fin. haftaa (< earlier *kaftaa)

Morphology

Noun

A minor collapse of the athematic/thematic distinction is observed, e.g. the thematic ablative -ad is here found on a traditionally athematic stem.

pátēr (Brightraven 2013)
Number Singular Plural
Nominative pátēr, *~īr páteris
Genitive pátaris pātaroun
Accusative pátern pā́terans
Dative pátarei pátaribhos
Ablative pátarad pátaribhos
Instrumental pátarei pátaribhī
Locative pátarei pátarais

Pronoun

Verb

Loss of the middle voice r-endings.

Creation of the future tense from former desiderative -s-.

Copula

Person Present
indicative
Imperfect
indicative
Optative Imperative
1st singular *ísani *ásan *ísjēn
2nd singular *íssi *ís *isjēs *ísdʰi
3rd singular *ísti *íst *isjēt *ístu
1st dual *swús *swé *sī́we
2nd dual *ístes *íston *íston *íston
3rd dual *ístes *ístān *ístān *ístān
1st plural *sámos *ísan *sīn
2nd plural *ísti *ísti *sī́ti *ísti
3rd plural *ásandi *sánad *sjánad *sándu

Numerals

  • 'one':
  • 'two':
  • 'three':
  • 'four': *wetwōr (> Finian vissaa wissâ, Limbe ωλυηρ ōluār, Dhannuá uéduór )
  • 'five': *pennwe (> Old Dhannuá PENVE penwe, Finian finni finni)
  • 'six':
  • 'seven':

Schleicher's PIE fable rendered into Proto-Lusanic

Here follows a 'direct' phonetic evolution of the reconstructed PIE text in Proto-Lusanic.

Proto-Lusanic (Bhitar Morningway[1])
[Warai] Owiz, éwūzwe, wésjo wŭ́lnā ne est, éwunz spéket, aiwón warún wúghon weghondan, aiwónwe méghan bhóron, aiwonwe ghámenn, ṓku bhérondan. Owiz nu éwaibhoz wéuwet: kḗr aghnuda moy éwunz agondan néran wídandey. Ewoz tu weuwont: klúdhi, owei, kḗr aghnuda ánsmei wídandibhoz. anḗr, pódiz, awjon rṓ wúlnān sebhi warnéudi nu wéramon wéstron néghi awion wulnā ésdi. Tód hluwuz owiz agron bhugét.


Proto-Lusanic (Ivanin Aiduvitić[2])
[Wérei] Owis, éwēswe, wési̯o wŭ́lnā ne íst, éwāns spéket, éwon wárun wúghon woghondan, éwonwe méghan bhóron, éwonwe ghámenan, ṓku bhérondan. Owis nu éwai̯bhos wū́wet: kḗr aghna moi̯ éwens agondan néran wídandei̯. Eweis tu wū́wont: lúdhi, owei, kḗr aghna ánsamei̯ wídandibhos: ánēr, pódis, áwi̯on rō wúlnān swébhi wárnūdi nu wéramon wéstron néghi áwi̯on wŭ́lnā íst. Tód lúwus owis nu agron bhúget.
Late Proto-Lusanic (Karl Svensson[3])
[Wérei̯] Úis, ū́ziswe, úzi̯o ulanā ne ísti, ū́ans spéket, éūn wórun wúghon wóghondan, éūnwe mághan bhóron, éūnwe ghámenan, ṓku bhérondan. Úis nu ūobhos wū́t: kḗr aghana moi̯ ū́ins agondan néran wídandei̯. Úīs tu wūnt: lúdhi, úi, kḗr aghana ánasmei̯ wídandibhos: ánēr, pódis, ūi̯on rō ūlanān swébhi wórnūdi nu wóramon wóstaron néghi ūi̯on ŭlanā ísti. Tód lūz úis nu agron bhúget.

Notes

[1] [2] [3]

  1. ^ a b Better do this in the morning, eh?
  2. ^ a b Aiduvitić harshly criticised Morningway's reconstruction in Why Morningway is Wrong: An unhealthy focus on Finio-Dhannic vocalism and was the first to derive forms including Limbe-Mereian data.
  3. ^ a b Representing a late Proto-Lusanic dialect probably ancestral to the Finio-Dhannic branch with w-contamination.