Subumpamese languages

The Subumpamese languages are the languages spoken in the eleven states of Subumpam. They split off from the parent language, called Tapilula, around 600 AD and continued to be spoken until the defeat of Subumpam in the Vegetable War of 2668 AD.

Early history

Update notes

NOTE, THIS WILL BE REWORKED HEAVILY SOON, TO THE POINT OF STARTEING FROM SCREATCH. MOST NOTES ARE ON PAPER ONLY NOW.

Proto-Subumpamese will be a "Raspberry Wine" type of language, with heavy reliance on coarticulated consonants, both labial and palatal.

Fortition

If Proto-Sub loses tones, it could fortify fricatives after high tones as happened in many other languages (though mostly at a later date). Also, syllabic nasals probably all fortify to /un/ ... that is, a three-way merger of ṁ ṅ ŋ̇ as /un/. This works because unlike Tapilula, syllable-final /n/ occurs commonly with other vowels. the actual shift would probably be ṅ > ən > un.

Early changes common to all Subumpamese languages

Proto-Subumpamese split off from the Gold branch of the Tapilula family around the year 600 AD. At this time, the only other Gold speakers were those living in Paba; those who settled Nama spoke different languages. Proto-Subumpamese had already gone through most of the vowel changes that characterized the Gold language of the year 1900. Note that the vowel changes above are responsible for the growth of closed syllables, and that proto-Subumpamese therefore has closed syllables wherever Gold also has them.

First stage of vowel shifts is on paper only and mostly resembles Gold except for the lack of loss of /e o/.

Second stage vowel shifts is nearly or entirely unconditional: /e/ > /i/ (thus phonemicizing palatalized consonants), followed by a pullchain of /o/ > /ə/ > /u/. This produces the exact same four-vowel system found in Gold: /a i u ə/. However, Proto-Subumpamese treats the schwa as a full vowel, since it comes from primordial /o/, and therefore the Subumpamese vowel system is more balanced.

Proto-Subumpamese evolves several unusual consonants. First off, the primordial /f/ changes to /ṗ/, a voiceless labiodental stop. (Note that the symbol ṗ usually indicates a completely different sound; this use is specific to Subumpamese.) This spelling is because the more common sound [fʷ] is spelled as f.

Then it evolves a post-palatal stop and fricative, and also a postvelar (but not uvular) stop. Thus it could be said that there are three "k" sounds: front, middle, and back. However, all Subumpamese daughter languages shift the consonant inventory strongly towards the front, resulting in a family of languages that sound somewhat like watered-down Pabappa.

All of this happened while there sitll was not an /s/ in the language, which was one of the triggers for the very strong frontward shift. At one point, early proto-Subumapmese had a voiceless fricative inventory consisting of /fʷ ś s̀ x h/ but no [s], even allophonically. All five of these had originated simpyl as allophones of [h]. There was also a corresponding voiced series.

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However, in Subumpamese the vowel qualities [e] and [o] (on all tones) did not merge to [a] as they did in Gold. There are a few other conditional differences between the two branches of the family, but these are dependent on consonants and occur only on the Subumpamese side. THere may also be /oè/ > /wè/ > /ʷè/, etc.

Subumpamese branched off from Gold before the deletion of all word-initial vowels, and therefore there are some words that were one syllable longer in proto-Subumpamese than in Gold. This also means that proto-Subumpamese retained the Tapilula noun classifier system, which in the Gold branch was wrecked by the deletion of initial vowels.

The only consonant change that occurred between Tapilula and proto-Subumpamese was the palatalization of /k/ (not /ḳ/) before /i/. All of the other changes that define the two branches occurred after the split.

Subumpamese contracted its vowel inventory to just /a i u ə/, as in Gold, but did so in very different ways. Whereas Gold did an unconditional shift of [a e o] > [a] regardless of tone, length, stress, or environment, in Subumpamese the vowels first left effects on surrounding consonants and then coalesced according to conditional rules. Broadly, there was a pullchain of [o > ə > u] and [e > i]. This can also be expressed as [ə] > [u] (as in Khulls) followed by [e o] > [i ə]. However the first shift — [ə] > [u] — was conditional.

Consonantal changes due to contact with vowels

All [u] stained consonants it touched by making them labialized. This happened before even the original vowel shift, so that e.g. /ū/ does not labialize a following consonant since it comes from various squences such as /ùa ùe ùə/ but never */ùu/. The gap of */ūʷ/ was repaired when /ə̄/ later became /ū/.

Likewise, all [i] infected consonants with palatalization. Furthermore, all [e] caused velar cosnoants to become postpalatal ( or "prevelar"), a change unique to this one series. (c.f. Japanese; velars move more than others since they are the same PoA as vowels already).

Syllable-final /h/ > /x/, forking off a new phoneme. However, both /h/ and /x/ were affected in identical ways by the vowel stains.

Therefore the consonant phonology of proto-Subumpamese was:

Bilabials:              p  b  m  
Rounded bilabials:      pʷ bʷ mʷ fʷ w
Labiodentals:           ṗ
Alveolars:              t  d  n  l 
Rounded alveolars:      tʷ dʷ nʷ lʷ
Palatalized alveolars:  č  ǯ  ň  ł
Palatals:               ć     ń  ś  ź  y
Prevelars:              c̀     ŋ̀  s̀  z̀
Velars:                 k     ŋ  x  g
Labialized velars:      kʷ    ŋʷ 
Postvelars:             q        h
Labialized postvelars:  qʷ
  

Note: /ň/ = /ñ/; the latter's used because the former isnt on all keyboards.

There still was not an [s], even as an allophone.

Early divisions

All Subumpamese languages can also be said to share the unconditional sound change of /ḳ/ > /q/, but in many cases, the pronunciation varied allophonically and it merely followed the same patterns of development. This sound change created clusters of /kq/ and /qk/, which both changed to /qq/ in all languages.

Rework the vowel shifts. Make the Gold vowel shifts and the Subumpamese ones descended from a parent form which weathers less losses than either.

K> ć k kw when touching ieaou in either direction. Tw preserved, t>č t tw same pattern

Separation of proto-Vuʒi

After these first few changes, the Vuʒi language split off from the rest. This language marked the westernmost limit of the Zenith people during the entire period of Subumpam's existence. At the time of the split, Vuʒi did not have an /s/.

Changes common to proto-Subumpamese except for Vuʒi

After the loss of Vuʒi, the remaining Subumpamese peoples continued to speak a single common language. The ejective series was preserved, and is here considered to be postvelar because it does not obey the sound changes that involve velars.

The next sound change was the fronting of all velar consonants before the sound /y/ (including /yi/). Note that this did not occur before long /ī/ because the long /ī/ had never triggered palatalization in the first place.^{maybe : )} Coronals were not affected by this change.

NOTE, this makes even the k>č change redundant, meaning there were effectively zero consonant changes between Tap and Proto-Sub.

Next, all long /ū/ changed to /wū/, thus labializing any consonants that occurred before it.

Then, the four diphthongs /ai au əi əu/ changed unconditionally to /ē ō ī ū/.

The next change shifted the labial sounds /hʷ gʷ/ to /f v/ unconditionally. Thus, at this point, around 1100 AD, Subumpamese did not have a /w/ despite having labialized consonants. This soon changed because the lateral approximant /l/ came to be pronounced /w/ in all positions. (NOTE: This was probably timed to line up with Pabappa, but now it cannot.)

Then, all long vowels in closed syllables became short and low-toned.

East-West split

At this point the Subumpamese people began to work more closely together and form multinational alliances instead of each nation considering itself independent. However, each nation tended to pair with nations to its north or south, and take less influence from nations to their east or west. This was due to the river systems in Subumpam, which flowed down from a mountain range in the far north of Subumpam. Thus the next division within the Subumpamese language family was a three-way split between Western, Central, and Eastern Subumpam. The Eastern branch split off from the other two slightly earlier than the other two split from each other, but for simplicity the split can be analyzed as simultaneous.

In Western Subumpamese territory, there came to be four languages, one for each of the four states at the western end of the Subumpamese Union. These were Mania, Yuez, Yuenan, and a second language that was spoken in Vuʒi.

In Central Subumpamese, there was only a single language. This was spoken in the capital territory of Subumpam, whose name is Bipabum. It was the most politically powerful of all of the Subumpamese languages and was the language often called simply "Subumpamese" by diplomats traveling overseas.

In Eastern Subumpamese, there were four languages, again one for each nation. These were Nī, Vuʒinī, Puripup, and Pipaippis. These languages were strongly influenced by Pabappa. Note that the Subumpamese states of Punsam and Pombi did not have their own languages because they were originally part of Paba and their peoples' native language was Pabappa.

Phonology of Common Subumpamese

The phonology of the three major proto-languages was little changed from that of proto-Subumpamese. There was still no phonemic /s/. Every consonant had a labialized form, but most of these had an unusual distribution, occurring exclusively before [u] in a heavy syllable. Ignoring the labialized forms, the consonant inventory of Common Subumpamese was:

/p b m f v w t d n č š ž ñ j k q ŋ h g/

And the vowel inventory was

/a e i o u ə/

However, although tone was still phonemic, the [e] and [o] vowels occurred mostly on the long high tone, that is, /ē/ and /ō/.

Changes unique to Central Subumpamese

The starting consonant inventory was:

/p b m f v w þ t d n č š ž ñ j k q ŋ h g/

The labialized coronals tʷ dʷ nʷ became the velars kʷ kʷ ŋʷ.

Then, Central Subumpamese shifted the postalveolar consonants č š ž ñ forward to become the alveolars c s z n. Thus phonemic /s/ was created. Note, however, that these consonants occurred primarily before the vowel [i], and thus had a limited distribution.

Next, the voiced stop d changed unconditionally to /r/. This change was blocked after a nasal, but the spelling changed as if the shift had occurred, since there were no minimal pairs.

Next, all syllable-final /ʕ/ changed to /g/.

Then, voiceless stops and fricatives became voiced after a low tone or a long falling vowel. Thus word-final /z/ was created, since the previous long tones like īs had become ĭs and now ĭz.

Then, [e] and [o] became short in all positions.

Then, all labialized consonants became labialized labials, and these quickly became plain labials.

Next, all of the velar consonants were doubly fronted to alveolars: /k h g ŋ/ became /c s z n/. The uvular stop /q/ was not affected by this shift; it had become [k] by this time, but was distinguished by behavior.

Syllable-final /z/ (which had been created by the last shift) now changed to [j], which was considered an allophone of /i/. Likewise, syllable-final /c/ (which had also been created by the last shift) changed to /t/ except in a few words in internal position where it remained before another postalveolar.

The sequences /ei ou/ became /ē ō/ unconditionally.

Tones were eliminated.

Syllable-final /u/ shifted unconditionally to /m/.

Changes unique to Eastern Subumpamese

Proto-Eastern Subumpamese made early use of mergers and reduced the size of its phonology. Its starting consonant inventory was:

/p b m f v w t d n č š ž ñ j k q ŋ h g/

And any of these could be labialized.

The labialized coronals tʷ dʷ nʷ became the labials pʷ bʷ mʷ.

The vowel /u/ shifted to /ə/ unconditionally, except if after a labialized consonant. Thus primordial /ū/ is distinct from primordial /u/.

Labialization was lost on all consonants.

The next change after this one was the unconditional fronting of all velars into alveolars: /k h g ŋ/ became /c s z n/. The uvular stop /q/ was moved up to become /š/, leaving the language entirely without dorsal consonants. There were also no liquid consonants.

High tones develop into syllable-final /ʔ/, which interacts with the next consonant when there is one. Then, tones are eliminated.

Daughter languages of Eastern Subumpamese

Proto-Eastern Subumpamese had no /l/ or /r/ sounds. Its starting phonology was, for consonants:

/p b m f v w t d n c s z š j/

[č] is considered to be /tš/.

The vowel setup was

/a e i o u ə/

With the schwa being more common than in most related languages.

Vuʒinī

This language develops vowel hiatus early on and keeps the hiatus rather than forming new diphthongs.

1. /z d/ > /l r/

Puripup

1. /v z/ > /0 0/
2. /b d/ > /ʋ r/ (spelled /v r/) except in word-initial position or after a nasal
3. /ʔp ʔt/ > /ṗ ṭ/ <--- these might actually be clicks, if the people of Puripup had some contact with Baeba Swamp.
4. /mp mb nt nd/ > /b b d d/
5. /ə/ > /0/
6. All voiceless stops become seen as fundamentally aspirated now.

Pipaippis

This lanuage is also known as Dabbazine, where e spells /ə/. Tapilula was Dàwadĭnu.

1. /ʔf ʔv/ > /pp bb/
2. /ʔc ʔs ʔz ʔš/ > /c c ʒ č/
3. /f v/ > /p b/ in word-initial position.
4. /f v/ > /w w/ in any remaining positions. (May be spelled v.)
5. /d/ > /z/ in medial position
6. /z/ > /0/
7. /e o/ > /jə wə/ (not əi əu? This is intended to mimic contemporary Pabappa.)
8. Other vowel sequences caused by the loss of d z also contract, whenever possible, into rising diphthongs.
9. /c ʒ č/ > /s z š/.
10. Sequences of consonant + /w/ become labialized consonants; sequences of consonant + /j/ become palatalized consonants.
11. /tʷ dʷ nʷ/ > /k ġ ŋ/.
12. Labialization was removed on all consonants. Palatalization stays.

Nī

1. /f/ > /h/
2. /z/ > /l/ unconditionally, therefore restoring /l/.
3. /p t/ > /pʰ tʰ/
4. /b d/ > /p t/
5. /v/ > /b/
6. All schwas deleted.
7. Grassman's Law.

CHanges unique to Western Subumpamese

The initial phonology here was

/p b m f v w t d n č š ž ñ j k q ŋ h g/

for consonants and /a e i o u ə/ for vowels. The language lacked /s/ and also did not have /l/ or /r/. Syllables could end in a nasal or one of /f k q/. The reflex of the high tone added a final [ʔ] to an open syllable, and it is treated here as if it were a separate phoneme for convenience. (Note: /f/ might be an error; it was for sure /h/ at an earlier date.)

1. /k q/ > /p/ before a coronal consonant.
2. Voiceless stops are deaspirated.
3. /č š ž ñ/ > /c s z n/
4. /pt/ > /ps/
5. /ʔp ʔt ʔk ʔq/ > /pp tt kk qq/
6. /ʔf ʔv ʔc ʔs ʔz ʔh ʔg/ > /pf pf c c c kʰ kʰ/
7. /pf c/ > /pʰ s/

vuji

Dentalz2 from tw etc. D to r.

Interaction with other languages

Note that the maturation dates of all nine languages are set at 1900AD, which is contemporary with the split between Pabappa and Khulls. Thus, at this time, there were ten languages in the Gold Empire: the nine Subumpamese languages, which were spoken in Subumpam, and the monolithic Khulls/Pabappa dialect complex, which covered the entire remainder of the empire.