Proto-Hercynian
From FrathWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
Proto-Hercynian is the (intrafictionally) reconstructed common ancestor of the Hercynian languages, which form a branch of the Hesperic language family, a family of diachronic lostlangs designed by Jörg Rhiemeier.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voiceless stops | *p | *t | *k | ||
| Voiced stops | *b | *d | *g | ||
| Voiceless fricatives | *ph | *th | *s | *kh | |
| Voiced fricatives | *bh | *dh | *z | *gh | |
| Nasals | *m | *n | *ng | ||
| Liquids | *l *r | ||||
| Semivowels | *w | *j |
Vowels
| Front | Non-front | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unround | Round | Unround | Round | |
| Close | *i | *y | *u | |
| Mid | *e | *o | ||
| Open | *a | |||
All vowels can be long (written with a circumflex, e.g. â).
Sound changes from Proto-Hesperic
This section gives an overview of the sound changes that occured on the way from Proto-Hesperic to Proto-Hercynian.
Common West Hesperic developments
Continental West Hesperic developments
- m > n /_#
- ng > n /_#
- Laryngeal loss
- V3 > V:
- 3 > 0 /otherwise
- Coda liquid chain shift
- l > u /V_(C,#)
- r > l /V_(C,#)
Begemann's Law
- Aspirated stops become voiceless fricatives except after nasals and *s and in gemination. In the named positions, they merge with the neutral stops.
- Voiced stops become voiced fricatives except after nasals and *s and in gemination. In the named positions, they remain voiced stops.
- Neutral stops remain unchanged in all positions.
Origin of *z
- s > z / after nasals and liquids
- tj, kj > s
- dj, gj > z
Emergence of non-apex vowels
- wa > o /C_
- wi > y /C_
- ja > e /C_
- ju > y /C_
