Proto-Northern-Romance (MGR)

Proto-Northern-Romance *Roumānēc / *Jermānēc / Lingua Rūstica Germāniārum
Spoken in:	northwestern Europe
Conworld:	Mundus Germaniae Romanae
Total speakers:	unknown
Genealogical classification:	Indo-European Romance Italo-Northwestern-Romance Proto-Northern-Romance
Basic word order:	SVO
Morphological type:	inflecting
Morphosyntactic alignment:	nominative-accusative
Writing system:
Created by:
P Collier, BP Jonsson	2006+

Introduction

Proto-Northern Romance is a reconstructed language. It is the posited common ancestor of today's Northern Romance languages (see below), sometimes known as the Germanican languages, that developed in northwestern Europe from the local variant of Vulgar Latin.

Modern Descendents

• {Rom-English}
• {Rom-Scots}
• {Rom-Frisian}
• {Rom-Dutch}
• {Rom-Limburgish}
• {Rom-Afrikaans}
• Low Jermench
• (High) Jermench
• {Rom-Luxembourgish}
• {Rom-Yiddish}

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants
		Bilabial		Labiodental		Dental		Alveolar		Palatal		Velar		Glottal
Nasal		m						n				ŋ
Plosive		p   b				t   d						k   g
Fricative		β		f		θ   ð		s				x   ɣ		h
Approximant		w								j
Trill								r
Lateral								l

Vowels

Vowels
				Front		Near-front		Central		Near-back		Back
High				iː								uː
Near-high						ɪ				ʊ
High-mid				e								oː
Low-mid						ɛ   ɛː						ɔ   ɔː
Low								a   aː

Morphology

Note with regard to spelling:

The written language of the literate Roman inhabitants of Germania was Classical Latin. Proto-Northern Romance was never transcribed, but rather was the local spoken dialect of Vulgar Latin.

As any spelling of Proto-Northern Romance is purely hypothetical, it allows a certain freedom when transcribing the language. For this reason, and ease of reading, modern spelling conventions are used in transcribing the semivowels /j/ and /w/ and those sounds not present in Classical Latin.

/j/       j

/w/       w

/θ/       th

/ð/       dh

/x/       ch

The Proto-Northern Romance phoneme /b/ was pronounced either as frictaive [β] or stop [b], depending on position (see phonology). Both allophones here are transcribed as b. Similarly /g/, which could be [ɣ] or [g], is transcribed as g.

Nouns

1st Declension

Group I - Mainly feminine, with some masculine exceptions. Derived from Latin 1st and 5th declensions.'

1st Declension – Group I
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– a	– as
	Accusative	– a	– as
	Genitive	– ā	– ār
	Dative	– ā	– īs

The following Latin paradigms decline per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin):

• terra, terrae
• *dia, *diae (< diēs, diēī)

Notes:

The Latin paradigms Aenēas, Aenēae and Anchīses, Anchīsae have regularised their nominative singular forms by anaolgy, and thereby merged with the above.

Group II - Feminine. Derived from Latin 1st declension.

1st Declension – Group II
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	–	– as
	Accusative	–	– as
	Genitive	– s	– ār
	Dative	– ā	– īs

The following Latin paradigm declines per the above:

• crambē, crambes

2nd Declension

Group I - Masculine. Derived from Latin 3rd declension.

2nd Declension – Group I
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	–	– ī
	Accusative	– e	– as
	Genitive	– es	– ōr
	Dative	– ī	– īs

The following Latin paradigm declines per the above:'

• pater, patris

Group II - Masculine. Derived from Latin 3rd declension.

2nd Declension – Group II
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– es	– ī
	Accusative	– e	– as
	Genitive	– es	– ōr
	Dative	– ī	– īs

The following Latin paradigm declines per the above:'

• amnis, amnis
• *āeris, āeris (< āēr, āeris)
• *Periclis, Periclis (<Periclēs, Periclis)

Group III - Masculine. Derived from Latin 3rd declension.

2nd Declension – Group III
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– as	– ī
	Accusative	–	– as
	Genitive	– as	– ōr
	Dative	– ī	– īs

The following Latin paradigms decline per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin):

• *amantis, amantis (< amans, amantis)
• *Periclis, Periclis (<Periclēs, Periclis)

Group IV - Masculine, including originally feminine Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 2nd and 4th declensions.

2nd Declension – Group IV
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– s	– ī
	Accusative	–	– s
	Genitive	– ī	– ōr
	Dative	–	– īs

The following Latin paradigms decline per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin):

• modus, modī
• portus, *portī (< portus, portūs)
• *Dēlus, Dēlī (< Dēlos, Dēlī)
• Lūcius, Lūcī

Group V - Masculine, including originally feminine Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 2nd declension

2nd Declension – Group V
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	–	– ī
	Accusative	–	– s
	Genitive	– ī	– ōr
	Dative	–	– īs

The following Latin paradigm declines per the above

• puer, puerī

Group VI - Masculine, including originally feminine Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 2nd declension

2nd Declension – Group VI
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	–	– ī
	Accusative	–	– as
	Genitive	– ī	– ōr
	Dative	–	– īs

The following Latin paradigm declines per the above

• liber, librī

3rd Declension

Group I - Masculine, originally neuter Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 3rd declension.

3rd Declension – Group I
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– e	– a
	Accusative	– e	– a
	Genitive	– es	– ōr
	Dative	– ī	– īs

The following Latin paradigms decline per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin):

• *nōme, nōminis (< nōmen, nōminis)

Group II - Masculine, originally neuter Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 3rd declension.

3rd Declension – Group II
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– es	– a
	Accusative	– e	– a
	Genitive	– es	– ōr
	Dative	– ī	– īs

The following Latin paradigms decline per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin)

• *animālis, *animālis (< animāl, animālīs)
• *poēmatis, poēmatis (< poēma, poēmatis)

Group III - Masculine, originally neuter Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 3rd declension.'

3rd Declension – Group III
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	–	– a
	Accusative	–	– a
	Genitive	– es	– ōr
	Dative	– ī	– īs

The following Latin paradigm declines per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin):

• opus, operis

Group IV - Masculine, originally neuter Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 3rd declension.'

3rd Declension – Group IV
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– s	– a
	Accusative	–	– a
	Genitive	– s	– ōr
	Dative	– ī	– īs

The following Latin paradigm declines per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin):

• *ossus, ossis (< os, ossis)

Group V - Masculine, originally neuter Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 3rd declension.'

3rd Declension – Group V
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	–	– a
	Accusative	–	– a
	Genitive	– s	– ōr
	Dative	– ī	– īs

The following Latin paradigm declines per the above:

• rēte, rētis

Group VI - Masculine, originally neuter Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 2nd and 4th declensions.

3rd Declension – Group VI
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– s	– a
	Accusative	–	– a
	Genitive	– ī	– ōr
	Dative	–	– īs

The following Latin paradigms decline per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin):

• *dōnus, dōnī (< dōnum, dōnī)
• *genūus, *genuī (< genū, genūs)

4th Declension

'Group I - Feminine, including originally masculine Latin nouns. Derived from Latin 3rd and 5th declensions.

4th Declension – Group I
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– s	– s
	Accusative	–	– s
	Genitive	– s	–
	Dative	– ī	– ius

The following Latin paradigms decline per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin):

• *clādis, clādis (< clādēs, clādis)
• *urbis, urbis (< urbs, urbis)
• *laudis, laudis (< laus, laudis)
• *aetātis, aetātis (< aetās, aetātis)
• rēs, *reis (< rēs, reī)
• *Naiadis, Naiadis (< Naias, Naiadis)

'Group II - Feminine. Derived from Latin 3rd declension.

4th Declension – Group II
		Singular	Plural
	Nominative	– es	– es
	Accusative	– e	– es
	Genitive	– es	–
	Dative	– ī	– ius

The following Latin paradigms decline per the above (starred forms are presumed/attested in Vulgar Latin):

• *mōris, mōris (< mōs, mōris)
• *ratiōnis, ratiōnis (< ratiō, ratiōnis)

Verbs

In the transition from Latin to Proto-Northern Romance, verbs went through several syntactic and semantic changes. Most of the distinctions present in classical Latin continued to be made, but synthetic forms were often replaced with analytic ones. Other verb forms changed meaning, and new forms also appeared.

In coomon with the other Romance dialects, Latin's synthetic passive voice was completely lost, to be replaced by a periphrastic form utilising the appropriately conjugated form of the verb 'to be' plus the past participle.

Similar new periphrastic forms also developed for the future tense, utilising the verb 'to come' plus the infinitive, and the perfect tense, using 'to have' and the past participle.

Latin's perfect tense had also functioned as a preterite (simple past). Following the development of a new periphrastic perfect tense (see above), use of the original perfect form continued but became limited solely to its preterite meaning.

Latin's imperfect tense was completely lost in Proto-Northern Romance.

Infinitive and Past Participle

Infinitive
	1st Conjugation		– āre
	2nd Conjugation		– īre
	3rd Conjugation		– re

Past Participle
	1st Conjugation		cun – āt
	2nd Conjugation		cun – īt
	3rd Conjugation		cun – t

During the Proto-Northern Romance period the past particple increasingly came to be prefixed with *cun- (from the Latin verbal prefix CON-). The precise semantic purpose of the prefix is unclear, although it clearly served to differentiate the past participle from other verb forms. It is possible the use of such a prefix had its origins in the pre-Roman languages of the Germanian tribes.

Indicative Mood

1st Conjugation

Present
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	–	– āms
	2nd person	– as	– āts
	3rd Person	– at	– ant

Preterite (Simple Past)
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	– aj	– aums
	2nd person	– astī	– asts
	3rd Person	– aut	– ārnt

A small group of 1st conjugation verbs, primarily those with stems ending in – d, formed their preterite indicative like 2ii verbs. They differed however in the 2nd person plural, ending – ests rather than – īsts.


2nd Conjugation - Derived from Latin 2nd and 4th conjugations

Present
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	–	– īms
	2nd person	– īs	– īts
	3rd Person	– et	– int

Group I - Preterite in –wī etc.

Preterite (Simple Past)
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	– wī	– wīms
	2nd person	– wistī	– wists
	3rd Person	– wet	– wīrnt

2i group derived from Latin 2nd conjugation.


Group II - Preterite in –ī etc.

Preterite (Simple Past)
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	– ī	– iums
	2nd person	– istī	– īsts
	3rd Person	– iut	– īrnt

2ii group derived from Latin 4th conjugation.


3rd Conjugation

Present
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	–	– (e)ms
	2nd person	– es	– (e)ts
	3rd Person	– et	– (e)nt

Preterite (Simple Past)
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	– si	– sīms
	2nd person	– sistī	– sists
	3rd Person	– set	– sīrnt

Subjunctive Mood

1st Conjugation

Present
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	–e	– īms
	2nd person	– es	– ītes
	3rd Person	– et	– int

2nd Conjugation - Derived from Latin 2nd and 4th conjugations

Present
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	–a	– āms
	2nd person	– as	– ātes
	3rd Person	– at	– ant

3rd Conjugation

Present
		Singular	Plural
	1st person	–a	– āms
	2nd person	– as	– ātes
	3rd Person	– at	– ant

Imperative Mood

Singular
	1st Conjugation		– a
	2nd Conjugation		– ī
	3rd Conjugation		– e

Plural
	1st Conjugation		– āte
	2nd Conjugation		– īte
	3rd Conjugation		– te