Proto-Centropic: Difference between revisions

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'''Proto-Tommian''' is the (intrafictionally) reconstruced common ancestor of the [[Tommian]] [[language family]] constructed by [[User:WeepingElf|Jörg Rhiemeier]].
'''Proto-Centropic''' is the (intrafictionally) reconstruced common ancestor of the [[Centropic]] [[language family]] constructed by [[User:WeepingElf|Jörg Rhiemeier]].


In a family like Tommian, reconstruction is more difficult than in such families as Indo-European due to the great time depth (about 7,000 to 8,000 years, if one assumes that Proto-Tommian was the language of the [[Wikipedia:Linear Pottery culture|Linearbandkeramik]] culture) and the lack of ancient written records. Also, the family consists only of seven very small and poorly studied languages. There are not many good cognate sets and often, only the roots match while the stem-forming suffixes differ (and Tommian-Kartvelian cognates are rarer still).
In a family like Centropic, reconstruction is more difficult than in such families as Indo-European due to the great time depth (about 7,000 to 8,000 years, if one assumes that Proto-Centropic was the language of the [[Wikipedia:Linear Pottery culture|Linearbandkeramik]] culture) and the lack of ancient written records. Also, the family consists only of a few very small and poorly studied languages. There are not many good cognate sets and often, only the roots match while the stem-forming suffixes differ.
 
{{WIP}}


==Phonology==
==Phonology==
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|  
|  
|-
|-
! "Emphatic"
! Aspirated
| *p'
| *ph
| *t'
| *th
| *c'
| *ch
| *ć'
| *ćh
| *č'
| *čh
|  
|  
| *k'
| *kh
|  
|  
|-
|-
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|-
|-
|}
|}
The exact quality of the "emphatic" stops is hard to ascertain. Ejective is a good guess, as the corresponding Kartvelian phonemes are ejective, too; yet, no extant Tommian language has ejectives. In both Midori and Kreluri, they have merged with the voiceless stops; in the Nonian languages, their reflexes vary, while in ''Trypillian'' they are pharyngealized.


====Consonant clusters====
====Consonant clusters====
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|-
|-
! Mid
! Mid
| *e
|colspan="2"| *e
| *(ə)
|  
| *o
|-
|-
! Low
! Low
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|}
|}


The position of the vowel '''*o''' is marginal. It occurs only in very few words, though some of these are quite common. None of these words appears to have a Kartvelian cognate; most of them are similar to some [[Eteonoric]] words. Hence, it is believed that these words were borrowed from a (Mesolithic?) language related to Eteonoric, or both families borrowed them from an unknown third source.
The vowel '''*e''' may have been [ə]. The vowel '''*o''' appears to have been missing.
 
===Developments in West Centropic===
 
* Mid sibilants merge with back sibilants.
* Aspirated stops become fricatives.
* Post-consonantal '''*w''' merges with following vowel, creating three new rounded vowels '''*o''', '''*ø''' and '''*y''' (from '''*a''', '''*e''', '''*i''' respectively).
 
===Developments in East Centropic===
 
* Mid sibilants merge with front sibilants.
* Aspirated stops are deaspirated; '''*h''' is lost.
* Front sibilants are backed after velar stops and '''*r'''.
* Front vowels preceding and following back sibilants are backed: '''*i''' > '''*y''' (a high central unrounded vowel, not to be confused with the front rounded vowel of West Centropic!), '''*e''' > '''*a'''.
* All consonants except back sibilants and '''*j''' develop palatalized counterparts when followed by a front vowel; this palatalization spreads leftward through clusters.
* Post-consonantal '''*w''' is lost.
 
==Morphology==
 
Proto-Centropic is reconstructed as a head-final agglutinating language. The [[morphosyntactic alignment]] is split: in clauses with a perfective verb, case marking is ergative, in clauses with an imperfective verb, it is accusative. Verb inflection, however, always follows an accusative pattern.
 
===Nouns===
 
Nouns are inflected for case and number. The cases are ''nominative'', ''genitive'' and ''dative''. The genitive also functions as an ''ergative'' in clauses with a perfective verb, while the dative also functions as an ''accusative'' in clauses with an imperfective verb. Further case relationships are expressed by postpositions, which govern either the genitive or the dative case. The numbers are singular and plural.
 
The paradigm is thus (example word: '''*kreli'''):
 
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!  
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! Nominative
| *kreli
| *krelita
|-
! Genitive
| *kreliśi
| *krelitaśi
|-
! Dative
| *krelisa
| *krelitasa
|-
|}
 
===Adjectives===
 
(to be done)
 
===Verbs===
 
(to be done)
 
==Syntax==
 
(to be done)
 
[[Category:Conlangs]]
[[Category:Atla]]

Latest revision as of 02:42, 10 October 2024

Proto-Centropic is the (intrafictionally) reconstruced common ancestor of the Centropic language family constructed by Jörg Rhiemeier.

In a family like Centropic, reconstruction is more difficult than in such families as Indo-European due to the great time depth (about 7,000 to 8,000 years, if one assumes that Proto-Centropic was the language of the Linearbandkeramik culture) and the lack of ancient written records. Also, the family consists only of a few very small and poorly studied languages. There are not many good cognate sets and often, only the roots match while the stem-forming suffixes differ.

This article is a work in progress.
The contents may be tentative, incomplete, inaccurate, in need of elaboration, subject to later revision, or just plain sketchy.

As a courtesy, if you are not the author of the article, please do not make edits to this article while this message is displayed.


Phonology

Consonants

  Labial Dental Sibilants Palatal Velar Glottal
Front Mid Back
Stops and
affricates 		Voiceless *p *t *c *ć *č   *k  
Aspirated *ph *th *ch *ćh *čh   *kh  
Voiced *b *d *dz *dź *dž   *g  
Fricatives Voiceless     *s *ś *š     *h
Voiced     *z *ź *ž      
Nasals *m *n            
Laterals   *l            
Rhotics   *r            
Semivowels *w         *j    

Consonant clusters

In a syllable onset, a stop or affricate may be followed by a liquid (*l, *r). Any consonant except a labial may be followed by *w (possibly, these were labialized consonants rather than clusters). A stop/affricate+liquid cluster may also be followed by *w.

In a syllable coda, no clusters may appear.

Vowels

  Front Central Back
High *i   *u
Mid *e  
Low   *a  

The vowel *e may have been [ə]. The vowel *o appears to have been missing.

Developments in West Centropic

  • Mid sibilants merge with back sibilants.
  • Aspirated stops become fricatives.
  • Post-consonantal *w merges with following vowel, creating three new rounded vowels *o, *ø and *y (from *a, *e, *i respectively).

Developments in East Centropic

  • Mid sibilants merge with front sibilants.
  • Aspirated stops are deaspirated; *h is lost.
  • Front sibilants are backed after velar stops and *r.
  • Front vowels preceding and following back sibilants are backed: *i > *y (a high central unrounded vowel, not to be confused with the front rounded vowel of West Centropic!), *e > *a.
  • All consonants except back sibilants and *j develop palatalized counterparts when followed by a front vowel; this palatalization spreads leftward through clusters.
  • Post-consonantal *w is lost.

Morphology

Proto-Centropic is reconstructed as a head-final agglutinating language. The morphosyntactic alignment is split: in clauses with a perfective verb, case marking is ergative, in clauses with an imperfective verb, it is accusative. Verb inflection, however, always follows an accusative pattern.

Nouns

Nouns are inflected for case and number. The cases are nominative, genitive and dative. The genitive also functions as an ergative in clauses with a perfective verb, while the dative also functions as an accusative in clauses with an imperfective verb. Further case relationships are expressed by postpositions, which govern either the genitive or the dative case. The numbers are singular and plural.

The paradigm is thus (example word: *kreli):

  Singular Plural
Nominative *kreli *krelita
Genitive *kreliśi *krelitaśi
Dative *krelisa *krelitasa

Adjectives

(to be done)

Verbs

(to be done)

Syntax

(to be done)

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