Battlax

I have been compelled to create yet another phonology sketch. Well, more like a family of four. They're like snacks, only the come out of you rather than going into you.

Proto-form

P	tʰ	ʧʰ	kʰ
	t	ʧ	k
	d	ʤ	ɡ
	s	ʃ	x
m	n	ɲ
w	l	j

Not quite decided what the labial obstruent should be phonetically. Doesn't really matter anyway.

Branch 1

The conservativ one.

Proto-stage

• P → p, conditionally pʰ
• Stop phonation shift the 1st
  • Voiced → aspirated

Insert non-inventory-disrupting changes here.

Until modern stage

• Stop phonation shift the 2nd
  • Aspirated → voiceless
    • except pʰ → f
  • Voiceless → voiced
• l → r
• Make vricativs

Result

	t	ʧ	k
b	d	ʤ	ɡ
f	s	ʃ	x
v	z	ʒ
m	n	ɲ
w	r	j

Branch 2

More mixing going on in here. Most numerous branch.

First developments

Proto-stage

• P → ɸ → h
• POA shift the 1st
  • Labiodentogenesis (dentalogenesis? dentigenesis?)
    • s → f
    • w → v
  • Sibilant fronting: ʧ⁽ʰ⁾ ʤ ʃ → ts dz s

2a

Old stage

• 1st spirantization
  • v d ɡ → b~β d~ð ɡ~ɣ (B D G)
    • spirant allophones intervocalic
  • dz → z in most positions, incl. initial
  • additionally: j h → D G or zero
• Conditional labialization of velars
• ts dz → θ ð
• z → r
• ɣ ɣʷ → j w

Doesn't match the Central Asia Sprachbund. Maybe Middle East… There's something in the complex spirant system resembling Ouiqál, so this might indeed fit in the East Mediterranean Sprachbund even if the primary form doesn't have voiceless nasals. That would however mean having to relocate the EMSB relativs of Dork Elvish, maybe to eastern Anatolia. Or am I overdoing the separation? If Tsonboran dies around -4ka at latest, there ought to be plenty of room for this in Persia, too. Also, this is around -2.5ka while Dork Elvish is -1.5ka.

Alternately, the final inventories here match East-A Altaic' so NW India is also up for consideration. If I put this in there, where does Klusterax go, tho??

Middle stage

• Fricativ voicing messes up & phonemicizes the B D G allophony
  • Check history of English for details?
• 2nd spirantization
  • Aspirate stop → spirant
  • Messes up the previous even better… & we probly get some fairly tasty orthographical arcaisms in the process
• ɲ → j (restoring it as an initial)

Until modern stage

• Labialization contrast of velars shifted to palatalization contrast
  • …after which the palatal ones decay to postalveolar affricates
  • CF Ethiopian'?
  • Contemporary vowels should count too; perhaps via chains like kʷu → ku → ky → ci → ʧi
• Also in the same palatalization hullabaloo: s z → ʃ ʒ
• Kill interdentals
  • θ → s
  • ð → n, r?
• Remaining ɣ → ɦ

Result

	t	ʧ	k
b	d	ʤ	ɡ
f	s	ʃ	x
v	z	ʒ	ɦ
m	n
w	l, r	j

2b

Old stage

• h → ∅
• x → h
• Similar labialization of velars as 2a
• …

Later

• 2nd spirantization hits this too
• Labiovelars → labials
• Whence /r/?

Branch 3

Batfuck. This needs to settle in an illabial Sprachbund. Indus Valley? Near Sahax?

Proto-stage part 1

• P → f
• x → h / #_
• Coda nasals:
  • m → ũ
  • n → ː~ / _S
  • ɲ → ĩ
  • [ŋ] → ũ / _x (if this occurs?)
  • with difthong collapse later
• ɲ → n (initial), jn (medial)
• kʰ → kx
• ɡ → ɣ
• Stop phonation shift the 1st
  • voiceless → mild ejectiv (CF Klusterax B?)

Proto-stage part 2

• Schirantism: (k)x ɣ → (t)ʂ ʐ
  • may hint at a West Altaic' substrate
• l → ɾ intervocally and before semivowels
• Stop phonation shift the 2nd
  • Aspiration lost medially
  • d ʤ → d̥ ʤ̥ / #_ (possibly also in some medial positions)
  • so we have initially glottalic <> aspirate <> lenis; medially glottalic <> tenuis <> voiced; no contrasts are lost here
• Dental weakening
  • ld lt → lː → l
  • tʰ tʼ → h ʔ / #_
• V~ → Vŋ / _#

The point here is to get a single phonological [+POSTERIOR] series, consisting of a velar ejectiv, retroflexen (fleces? :b), and heng. This was inspired by an attempt to reconcile the classic "implausibly random consonant inventory" /ǀ kʼ ts ɖ ɬ m r/ with as few changes as possible - start with

ǀ ɬ m r → tsʼ s n ɽ

then make voicing allophonic, yielding
/ tsʼ kʼ/
/ ts ʈ /
/  s   /
/ n  ɽ /
where the +POSTERIOR series is clear. If you fill in missing common consonants /t m w j l/, add aspiration & palatalize the affricates, it starts looking like the intermediate inventory here in some respects:

	tʼ ~ ʔ	tʃʼ	kʼ
	t(ʰ)	tʃ(ʰ)	tʂ(ʰ)
	d	dʒ	ʐ
f	s	ʃ	ʂ
m	n		ŋ ~ h
w	l   ɾ	j

Proto-stage part 3 ('Till 'bout -1.5Ka. Attested yet? Prolly not)

• hiatus
  • j → ʔ / {i e}_V
  • w → ʔ / {u o}_V
• Sibilant → (lenis) affricate / CONDITION
  • further dz → d (perhaps via [θ])
  • (actually is this still shared at all?)

Branch 3a

• ʐ → ɻ
• (t)ʂ ɻ → (t)s ɹ
• ejecticity <> aspiration ceases to be contrastiv
  • tʼ tʰ lenited, ʧʰ originally rare, kʰ routed previously → no biggie

making

Daughter 1 (Attested since ca. -700a)

• w → b
• ɾ → d
• ʧ ʤ → ts dz → s z
• fricativ collapse: f → h (at least…)

(…) making

m	n
b	d
	t	k	ʔ
	s	ʃ	h
	z
	l ɹ	j

Vowels /i e a u/ (iu eu au ai ia ea …?), /b h a/ common, tones

Branch 3b

• Further initial devoicing:
  • m n → m̥ n̥ → p t (latter merging with the reflex of initial *d); or → f h?
  • ʐ → ʂ
• medial voiced stops lost
• stuff with *w?
• retroflex/postalveolar sibilants merge
• labialization of /ʃ j k ŋ/

I like how we get contemporary /r/ out of three completely different original consonants - /l ʤ ɡ/ ;)