Proto-Ndere-Siloki

Proto-Ndere-Siloki Vocabulary

Proto-Ndere-Siloki is a reconstructed Koigus-Ndere language that is the ancestor to the Ndere-Siloki languages and itself descends from Proto-Koigus-Ndere. It was spoken roughly 5,000 years before present. It was spoken by ancient northern Halmedic pastoralists who lived between the northern slopes of the Gorgik Plateau and the southern shores of the Gupar Lake.

=Phonology=

Phonotactics
Syllable structure

(C1)(R)V(C3)(C4)(C5)
 * C1: Any consonant
 * R: /m n ŋ l j w/
 * V: Any vowel
 * C3: /m n ŋ ɴ ɮ z ɣ ʁ/ or any ejective
 * C4: Any unrounded non-palatal consonant other than /b d ɢ d͡z/
 * C5: Any unrounded consonant that isn't uvular or one of /b d d͡z/

Allophony


 * Mid vowels /ɪː e(ː)/ become [iː ɜ(ː)] before a semivowel. If also after a consonant then /eː/ becomes [ɜi̯]
 * /t ɾ ɮ/ become [tʲ ɾʲ ɮʲ] before a palatal consonant or word-finaly. In the same conditions /gw/ becomes [g̟].
 * Non-uvular consonants that aren't [ɟ j w] assimilate in palatalisation with the following consonant. Before palatal and velar consonants. In the same conditions /gw/ becomes [g̟].
 * Alveolar taps [ɾ ɾʲ] become [l lʲ] before [l lʲ].
 * High vowels and semivowels [j w {i ɜ}] become [e̯ o̯ 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 semivowels [j w] become lax [ɜ̯ ɵ̯] before a lax vowel.
 * When before a nasal consonant, /d/ becomes [ð].
 * When before a nasal consonant or word finally before a word intiial /b/, plosives have a nasal release except the /t d/ which become geminate versions of said nasal consonant.
 * When after a vowel that may or may not be followed by a vowel, the plosives /p b t d q ɢ ʔ/ lenite into [ɸ β θ ð χ ʁ h]. In the same conditions /ɟ k/ and /g/ become [ɕ] and [ʑ] 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 /ɕ ʑ/:
 * *tsmɵɣ- ("sand") + -ix̂ ("singulative suffix") > *tsmɵ̄źix̂- ("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 /ɜi̯/:
 * *qęɣdzaź- ("sack") > *qęɣdzeźɵf- ("sacks")
 * *beŋits- ("eagle") > *beŋijtsɵf- ("eagles")
 * *tsmɵɣ- ("sand") > *tsmɵ̄źix̂- ("grain of sand").

Lenition

Phonological History

 * V→∅/VV_
 * ɑ→a
 * e o→ ɛ ɔ
 * oː→ø
 * ø→e/_#
 * aː→e
 * iː→ɪi/C_C
 * ʊ u →ɵ ʊ
 * ɔ{g j}→ʌu
 * V[-stress]→ɪ/_N
 * V[-stress]→ʌ/_{l r}
 * ɛ→i/_#
 * ʌr→iɪ
 * d→ð/_N
 * x ɣ →χ ʁ
 * p b t ɟ k g q ɢ→pm bm Nː ɟɲ kŋ gŋ qɴ ɢɴ/_{N #b}
 * VNC → ṼC
 * p b t d {ɟ k} g q ɢ ʔ →ɸ β θ ð ç ʝ χ ʁ h/V(F)_(V l ɬ ɮ)
 * ç ʝ →ɕ ʑ/E_,_E
 * ç ʝ→x ɣ
 * ɪ(ː) eː ɛ a →ɜ(ː) ɪː e æ
 * ɔ→o
 * ʔ→∅/_C

=Nouns=

Grammatical Number
Proto-Ndere-Siloke diverged from Proto-Koigus-Ndere's system of having nouns be collective by default which were then made singular with a suffix. Rather Proto-Ndere-Siloki reanalysed Proto-Koigus-Ndere's singulative nouns as singular which are then made plural with the suffix -ɵf (from Proto-Koigus-Ndere *ùp- "all"). Nouns which denote humans however take the plural suffix -ɵ̄n (from Proto-Koigus-Ndere *wun- "people". Compare PNS *ɵ̄neźź- "person").

Examples:


 * *qęɣdzaź- ("sack") > *qęɣdzeźɵf- ("sacks")
 * *woxlwiś- ("tail") > *woxlwijśɵf- ("tails")
 * *izdzoqr- ("stick") > *izdzoqrɵf- ("sticks")
 * *løɣ̂iɣ̂ɣ̂ɬ- ("leaf") > *løɣ̂iɣ̂ɣ̂ɬɵf- ("leaves")
 * *wǫx̂maɮr- ("mountain") > *wǫx̂maɮrɵf- ("mountains")
 * *gʷjuzxuɣ- ("spear") > *gʷjuzxūɣɵf- ("spears")
 * *jaɣ̂ɣ̂èn- ("bowl") > *jaɣ̂ɣ̂ènɵf- ("bowls")
 * *bnoeźź- ("son") > *bnoeźźɵ̄n- ("sons)
 * *gʷesoɮ- ("fish") > *gʷesōɮɵf- ("fish.")
 * *dzøðmi- ("wolf") > *dzøðmiɵf- ("wolves")
 * *beŋits- ("eagle") > *beŋijtsɵf- ("eagles")
 * *dzjęzgʷe- ("god") > *dzjęzgʷeɵf- ("gods")
 * *dznieźź ("daughter") > *dznieźźɵ̄n ("daughters")
 * *ɵ̄neźź- ("person") > *ɵ̄neźźɵ̄n- ("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:


 * *tsmɵɣ- ("sand") > *tsmɵ̄źix̂- ("grain of sand")
 * *tlizɮ- ("cud") > *tlizɮgʷaɣ̂t- ("drop of cud")
 * *xuzŋ- ("mud") > *xuzŋaɮr- ("drop of mud")
 * *maznl- ("water") > *maznln̂je- ("drop of water")

=Determiners=

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

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
PNS has no proximal-distal distinction of any kind in it's demonstratives, having only *iɮx- ("those, these") and it's various singular forms. There are 15 singular forms which are assigned based on the shape and form of the noun, or type of animals when the noun is animate.

Interrogative Pronouns

 * ix̂x̂eþ "where"
 * īɣ̂az "when"
 * ix̂tsef "why"
 * īɣ̂zuɣ̂n̂ "how"

The words for "what, which" must agree to one of the 15 semantic groupings when its class is known. When the class is unknown the pronoun *iɣ̂- alone is used.

*īɣ̂eźź- in particular means "who, which person".

=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 χ ʁ/, then it triggers lenition on the adjective:


 * *dzøðmi- ("wolf") + *blē- ("small") > dzøðmi vle ("small wolf")
 * *aɣ̂n̂u- ("season") + *teŋ- ("cold") > aɣ̂n̂u þeŋ ("cold season")

=Verbs=

Proto-Ndere-Siloki verbs are polypersonal and inflect for four aspects. Aspects are marked via a prefix to the verb while person agreement is marked via suffixes. The four aspects are "gnomic" "continious" "prospective" and "terminative". The word order of PNS is SVO but the ordering of its person marking suffixes are a remnant of Proto-Koigus-Ndere's VSO order.

Non-polypersnal suffixes
Non-polypersonal are used when there is no direct object.

Gnomic
The gnomic aspect is zero marked.

Continious

 * When the verb begins in a voiced plosive, the prefix is la- and the voiced plosive become an ejective. If the verb begins in CV then the prefix is le-:
 * *bnoq- ("to sink") > lap'noq-
 * *beɣ- ("to open") > lep'eɣ-
 * When the verb begins in a vowel, the prefix is leh-:
 * *ik'- ("to win, to beat, to overcome, to defy") > lehik'-
 * When the verb begins in a plosive followed by a vowel or a lateral fricative/approximant, the prefix is le- and the plosive lenites:
 * *qeiźź- ("to want") > lex̂eiźź-
 * *kiʔ- ("to bend") > leśiʔ-

The negative continious is formed by the prefix *kela-:
 * *bnoq- ("to sink") > kelap'noq-
 * *beɣ- ("to open") > kelep'eɣ-

Prospective
The progressive aspect is marked with the prefix qeiźź-:
 * *bnoq ("to sink") > qeiźźbnoq-''
 * *ik'- ("to win, to beat, to overcome, to defy") > qeiźźik'-
 * *qeiźź- ("to want") > qeiźźqeiźź-

Terminative

 * When the verb begins in a back vowel the prefix is jōx-
 * *oɮ- ("to choose") > *jōxoɮ-
 * When the verb begins in a front vowel the prefix is jōś-
 * *ik'- ("to win, to beat, to overcome, to defy") > jōśik'-
 * When the verb begins in a lateral the prefix is jox-
 * *lèŋs- ("to drink") > joxlèŋs-
 * When the verb begins in a voiced consonant the prefix is jog-
 * *gʷe- ("to eat") > joggʷe-
 * When the verb begins in a voiceless consonant the prefix is jok-
 * *kiʔ- ("to bend") > jokkiʔ-

The aspects can be used together to create for more intricate meanings. The following combinations are:

Continious + Prospective = denotes that the subject is preparing to do the action: bnoeźź leqeiźźgʷe gʷesoɮ ("the son is preparing to eat the fish"). Continious + Terminative = denotes that the subject is currently ceasing the action, or that the action will be ceased in the very near future: bnoeźź lejoggʷe gʷesoɮ ("the son is going to stop eating the fish"). Terminative + Prospective = denotes that the subject was about to do the action but no longer is: bnoeźź jokqeiźźgʷe gʷasoɮ ("the son was about to eat the fish, but didn't")

Imperative
The imperative is formed by placing the verb *aɣt- (“to make”) 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 formed by prefixing *keʔ- onto *aɣt-:


 * aɣt an (“declare!”) - ''keʔaɣt an’' (“don’t declare”)
 * aɣt azɮ ("sit!”) - keʔaɣt azɮ (“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:


 * aɣnn nḕme (“ask!”)
 * aɣmm mez (“listen!”)
 * aɣnn beɣ̂ ("open!")