Proto-Siloki

=Phonology=

Phonotactics
Syllable structure

(C1)(R)V(C3)(C4)(C5)
 * C1: Any consonant
 * R: /m n g l j/
 * V: Any vowel
 * C3: /m n ŋ ʒ z ɣ ʕ/ or any ejective
 * C4: Any unrounded non-palatal consonant other than /b d ʡ d͡ʒ/
 * C5: Any unrounded consonant that isn't one of /b d d͡ʒ/

Allophony


 * Mid vowels /ɪː e(ː)/ become [iː ɜ(ː)] before a semivowel. If also after a consonant then /eː/ becomes [iː]
 * Consonants assimilate in palatalisation with the following consonant. Before palatal and velar consonants.
 * The alveolar tap [ɾ] becomes [l] before [l].
 * High vowels and semivowels [j {i ɜ}] become [e̯ e] after a non-near high vowel or uvular consonant. If word final then /i ɜ/ become [i].
 * Non-ejective obstruents assimilate in voicing with a following obstruent.
 * The semivowel [j] becomes lax [ɜ̯] before a lax vowel.
 * When before a nasal consonant, /d/ becomes [ð].
 * When before a nasal consonant or word finally before a word intial /b/, the plosives /p b k g/ become the sequences [pɜm bɜm kɜŋ gɜŋ]. In the same conditions /t d/ become geminate versions of said vowel, or [nː] when before [b].
 * When after a vowel that may or may not be followed by a vowel, the plosives /p b t d ʡ ʡ1/ lenite into [ɸ β θ ð ħ ʕ]. In the same conditions /d͡ʒ k/ and /g/ become [ʃ] and [ʒ] around high vowels and [x] [ɣ] elsewise.

Morphophonology


 * When a stem ending in /x ɣ/ takes on a suffix begining with a front vowel, then the final consonant becomes /ʃ ʒ/:
 * *cmöɣ- ("sand") + -ix1 ("singulative suffix") > *cmôžix1- ("grain of sand").
 * When a stem ending in a closed syllable takes on a suffix begining in a vowel, the final vowel of the stem lengthens. If the final vowel of the stem is /a/ or /i/ then it becomes /e/ or /iː/ respectively:
 * *qöɣǧaž- ("sack") > *qöɣǧežöf- ("sacks")
 * *begic- ("eagle") > *begīcöf- ("eagles")
 * *cmöɣ- ("sand") > *cmôžiʜ- ("grain of sand").

Lenition

Phonological History

 * ɴ qʼ {q ɢ} χ ʁ → Ø ʡʼ ʡ ħ ʕ
 * pm bm kŋ gŋ → pɜm bɜm kɜŋ gɜŋ
 * cʼ → c
 * w → ∅
 * gʷj → guj
 * (g)gʷ → wː
 * kʼʷ → kʼ
 * {tʲ t͡s c} {d͡z ɟ} → t͡ʃ d͡ʒ
 * ʌ(ː) → ɜ(ː)
 * ɾʲ → j → i
 * ŋ → ɣ/V_V
 * ŋ → g
 * x ɣ →ʍ w/V_V
 * j → w/_BK
 * Vʔ → Vː
 * ʔ→∅
 * {ɕ(ː) ɬ} {ʑ(ː) ɮ} → ʃ ʒ
 * h→∅
 * ø(ː) → e(ː)
 * V1V2 →V2ː
 * {ĩ(ː) ũː} {ɪ̃(ː) ʊ̃} {ẽ(ː) õ(ː)} æ̃ →ɨ(ː) ɨ̞(ː) ɘ(ː) ɐ
 * ɜ̃(ː) ɵ̃(ː) →ɜ(ː) ɵ(ː)
 * ɵ(ː) → ɘ(ː)

Grammatical Number
Nouns are made plural with the suffix -öf (from Proto-Koigus-Ndere *ùp- "all"). When the nouns ends in a vowel then the final vowel is elided and the vowel in the suffix is lengthened. Nouns which denote humans however take the plural suffix -ôn (from Proto-Koigus-Ndere *wun- "people". Compare PNS *ônež- "person").

Examples:


 * *qöɣǧaž- ("sack") > *qöɣǧežöf- ("sacks")
 * *oxliš- ("tail") > *oxlīšöf- ("tails")
 * *izǧoqi- ("stick") > *izǧoqröf- ("sticks")
 * *leʜ1iʜʜ1š- ("leaf") > *lex2ixx2šöf- ("leaves")
 * *öx1maži- ("mountain") > *öx1mažröf- ("mountains")
 * *gujuzxuɣ- ("spear") > *gujuzxūɣöf- ("spears")
 * *jaʜʜ1yn- ("bowl") > *jaʜʜ1ynöf- ("bowls")
 * *bnēž- ("son") > *bnēžôn- ("sons)
 * *wwesož- ("fish") > *wwesōžöf- ("fish.")
 * *ǧeðmi- ("wolf") > *ǧeðmôf- ("wolves")
 * *beɣic- ("eagle") > *beɣīcöf- ("eagles")
 * *ǧjözwwe- ("god") > *ǧjözwwôf- ("gods")
 * *ǧnēž ("daughter") > *ǧnēžôn ("daughters")
 * *ônež- ("person") > *ônežôn- ("people")

Mass nouns avoided the shift from collective singulative > singular plural as they are still collective by default. There are four suffixes which turn collective mass nouns into singulative count nouns which are as follows:


 * *cmöɣ- ("sand") > *cmôžiʜ- ("grain of sand")
 * *tliž- ("cud") > *tližwwax2t- ("drop of cud")
 * *xuzg- ("mud") > *xuzgaži- ("drop of mud")
 * *maznl- ("water") > *maznlje- ("drop of water")

=Determiners=

Personal Pronouns
The anaphoric pronouns in Proto-Siloki are rarely used, being mostly used for emphasis. They come from the Proto-Koigus-Ndere pronouns compounded with *tuʔg- ("self").

The divine form of the second person singulative is used when addressing gods in prayers or when speaking to shamans. In place of third person pronouns, PKN uses the demonstrative pronoun.

Demonstrative Pronouns
Proto-Siloki has no proximal-distal distinction of any kind in it's demonstratives, having only *ižež for human nouns, *ižwwe for divine nouns and *ižxuɣ for any other nouns. This is a change from Proto-Ndere-Siloki which had 16 demonstratives to match with each semantic class. The demonstrative *ižxuɣ is from the Proto-Ndere-Siloki demonstrative *iɮxuɣ which only referred to tools and weapons. The demonstratives do not agree with the number of the noun.


 * ižxuɣ beɣic ("this/that eagle") - ižxuɣ beɣīcöf ("these/those eagles")
 * ižež bnēž ("this that son") - ižež bnēžôn ("these/those sons")
 * ižwwe ǧjözwwe ("this/that god") - ižwwe ǧjözwwôf ("these/those gods")

Interrogative Pronouns

 * iʜʜundefinedeþ "where"
 * īʜ1az "when"
 * iʜcef "why"
 * īʜ2zuʜ2 "how"

There are three words for "what" which correspond to human, divine and everything else. Respectively they are īʜ2ež, iɣ̂wwe and īʜ2uɣ.

=Adjectives=

Adjectives always follow the noun that they modify. If the noun ends in a vowel, or a vowel followed by the fricatives /s z ħ ʕ/, then it triggers lenition on the adjective:


 * *ǧeðmi- ("wolf") + *blē- ("small") > ǧeðmi vlē ("small wolf")
 * *aɣʜ1u- ("season") + *teg- ("cold") > aʜ1u þeg ("cold season")

=Definiteness=

Marking definiteness is a Proto-Siloki innovation. Definiteness is marked not on the nouns but rather on its modifers (so adjectives and prepositions) with the suffix *-ižx which is from the Proto-Ndere-Siloki demonstrative *iɮx- ("this, that"). Note that if the adjective or preposition ends in a vowel, then said vowel will be dropped before the definite suffix which would then become *-īžx. Here are some examples:


 * begic blē ("small eagle") > begic blīžx ("the small eagle")
 * aʜ₁l ǧeðmi ("in front of a wolf") > aʜ₁liži ǧeðmi ("in front of the wolf")

After a definite preposition, lenition may be caused in the noun:


 * aʜ₁l gujuzxuɣ ("in front of a spear") > aʜ₁liži wujuzxuɣ ("in front of the spear")

=Verbs=

Imperative
The imperative is formed by placing the verb *aɣc- (“to cause, to compel”) at the beginning of the clause before the main verb with a null subject. The placement at the beginning of the clause is a rement of Proto-Koigus-Ndere’s VSO word order. The negative is with the negative form of the verb kāɣc-:


 * aɣc an (“declare!”) - ''kāɣc an’' (“don’t declare”)
 * aɣc azž ("sit!”) - kāɣc azž (“don’t sit!”)

When the main verb begins in a nasal then the imperative is *aɣNN (where NN is a geminate version of the following nasal). When the verb begins in /b/ then the imperative becomes *aɣnn/kāɣnn:


 * aɣnn nɪ̄me (“ask!”)
 * aɣmm mez (“listen!”)
 * aɣnn beʜ2 ("open!")