Rajo-Faraneih Languages
The Rajo-Faraneih Language Family is a large block of languages spread through out northwestern Lescealh which derive from Proto-Rajo-Faraneit. Because of the enormous diversity within the family, categorization is difficult, although not impossible.
Categorization
- Central Group
- Southern Group
- Northern Group
- RF5 - Lescealh
- RF6 - Kupeameiceah
- Eastern Group
- RF7 - Pre-Bokeih
Central Group
The Central Group is the most diverse of the main groups. The main reason for the grouping of these three distinct branches from PRF into one supragroup is that they all allow the existance of a phoneme /g/. Of the remaining languages, there is no /g/ and only a few examples of [g]. In other words, the split recognition of voice has been replaced by a full voiced/voiceless distinction for the plosives, and in most cases the fricative series as well.
Another principle commonality is the preservation of having a pitch-stress system (although not perfectly preserved from PRF in any case) but not a full tonality system, like the Southern Group.
The final principle commonality is the complete dissolution of the retroflex liquids from PRF, and with the creation of no alternative retroflex consonants. This, however, occurs through a variety of means.
Within this group, RF1 is known for significant vowel deletion, as well as an extreme shift towards SVO and SOV constructions, notably deviating from the VSO dominance of PRF. Here, *l and *ɭ merged to /l/ while *r becomes a nasal flap, and *ɻ becomes /r/.
RF2 is notable for its extensive number of vowel qualities (as many as eleven) and its preservation of the voiceless affricates in some dialects, as well as the more universal reanalysis of voiced affricates as voiced aspirates. Grammatically, RF2 is much more conservative and preserves the majority of the isolating features of PRF while maintaining the VSO word order. In this group, *ɻ also became a (usually nasal) flap, but *r deteriorated into /ʔ/ then deleted in many dialects. On the other hand, the *l - *ɭ remained, but *ɭ shifted into /ɬ/
On the other hand, RF3 is rather innovative grammatically, evolving terminal mutations in relation to plurality and adjectives following the noun. It also developed SVO word order, reduced *l and *r to /ɺ/ and changed *ɭ *ɻ into /l/ and /r/, respectively, after leniting the affricate series.
Southern Group
The Southern Group contrasts with the chaotic Central Group with its extreme homogeneity. All of the three descendent languages have dissolved the partial voice distinction, instead of having a Central Group complete distinction, extreme lenition of the voiced stops and fricatives destroyed the instances of distinction. The areal influence of the indigenous Sjisia dialects is believed to have resulted in tonogenesis, in tandem with a sudden period of notable Kelsiut influence creating certain conditions aiding this process.
Original syllable terminal *w became [ɣ] or [g] dependent on language, which in turn produced low tone and high tone respectively. Contemporaneously, syllable terminal *j became [ʒ] or [ʔ] again dependent on dialect, and later deleted and produced low or high tone. The sudden formation of [g ɣ ʒ ʔ] is believed to have been the result of sudden interaction with the Kelsiut speakers, which during the time period had recently evolved phonemic /g ɣ ʒ/, even if the contrast was admittedly limited.
The deletion of these voiced phonemes producing tone is only one example from various influences of the Sjisia speakers. Originally a mere allophonic distinction, *k split into phonemes /k kp) c/ showing influence from both High Sjisia, which has phonemic /k c/, and Low Sjisia, which has phonemic /k kp)/.
