Proto-Zanahic

Introduction

Proto-Zanahic is the reconstructed ancestor of Zanahi and other Zanahic languages.

Phonology

Consonants

Reconstructed consonant phonemes of Proto-Zanahic

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		*m /m/	*n /n/
Stop	voiceless	*p /p/	*t /t/		*k /k/	*ʔ /ʔ/
	voiced	*b /b/	*d /d/		*g /ɡ/
	ejective	*ṗ /pʼ/	*ṭ /tʼ/		*ḳ /kʼ/
Affricate	voiceless		*c /ts/
	voiced		*z /dz/
	ejective		*ṣ /tsʼ/
Fricative			*s /s/	*š /ɕ/		*h /h/
Trill			*r /r/
Approximant			*l /l/	*y /j/	*w /w/

Vowels and Syllabics

Reconstructed vowel phonemes of Proto-Zanahic

	Short		Long
	Front	Back	Front	Back
Close	*i /i/	*u /u/	*ī /iː/	*ū /uː/
Mid	*e /ɛ/		*ē /ɛː/
Open	*a /a/	*o /ɒ/	*ā /aː/	*ō /ɒː/

Reconstructed diphthongs of Proto-Zanahic

	Short		Long
	/i/	/u/	/i/	/u/
/ɛ/	*ey /ɛi/	*ew /ɛu/	*ēy /ɛːi/	*ēw /ɛːu/
/a/	*ay /ai/	*aw /au/	*āy /aːi/	*āw /aːu/
/ɒ/	*oy /ɒi/	*ow /ɒu/	*ōy /ɒːi/	*ōw /ɒːu/

Reconstructed syllabic consonants of Proto-Zanahic

Consonant	Short	Long
*/m/	*m̥ /m̩/	*m̥̄ /m̩ː/
*/n/	*n̥ /n̩/	*n̥̄ /n̩ː/
*/r/	*r̥ /r̩/	*r̥̄ /r̩ː/
*/l/	*l̥ /l̩/	*l̥̄ /l̩ː/
*/ʔ/	*ə /ə/	*əʔ /əʔ/

Note that *i and *u (and their long forms *ī and *ū) are considered the syllabic counterparts of *y and *w respectively.

Morphology

(IN PROGRESS)

Nominals

Pronouns

Personal pronouns

Proto-Zanahi reconstructed personal pronouns

Person	Number	Gender	Nominative	Accusative	Instrumental	Dative	Ablative	Genitive	Locative	Clitic
1	S	M/F	*ʔeṣ	*me	*moi	*megi	*meṭ	*mene	*moi	*me
	D		*weʔ	*n̥ʔwe	*n̥ʔubiʔ	*n̥ʔwey	*n̥ʔweṭ	*n̥ʔowš	*n̥ʔwey	*nōʔ
	P		*weyeh	*n̥hme	*n̥hm̥biš	*n̥hmey	*n̥hmeṭ	*n̥hom	*n̥hmey	*nōh
2	S	M/F	*tuʔ	*twe	*toi	*tegi	*tweṭ	*tewe	*toi	*te
	D		*yuʔ	*uʔwe	*uʔubiʔ	*uʔwey	*uʔweṭ	*uʔowš	*uʔwey	*wōʔ
	P		*yūh	*ušme	*ušm̥biš	*ušmey	*ušmeṭ	*ušom	*ušmey	*wōh
3	S	M
		F
		N
	D	M
		F
		N
	P	M
		F
		N

Demonstrative pronouns

.

Numerals

Reconstructed Proto-Zanahic numerals

Symbol	Cardinal number			Ordinal number
	masc.	fem.	neuter
1	*ʔoynoh	*ʔoynaʔ	*ʔoynom	*pr̥ʔtm̥moh, -aʔ, -om
2	*ṭuwoʔ	*ṭuwaʔi	*ṭuwoʔ	*ṭwitiyoh, -aʔ, -om
3	*treyeh	*treyeh	*treyā	*tr̥tiyoh, -aʔ, -om
4	*ketureh	*ketureh	*keturaʔ	*keturtoh, -aʔ, -om
5	*penke			*penketoh, -aʔ, -om
6	*šecš			*šecštoh, -aʔ, -om
7	*heptm̥			*heptm̥moh, -aʔ, -om
8	*ʔoctō			*ʔoctowoh, -aʔ, -om
9	*newn̥			*newn̥noh, -aʔ, -om
10	*ṭecm̥			*ṭecm̥toh, -aʔ, -om
20	*ṭwiʔcn̥ti
30	*triʔcont
40	*ketwr̥ʔcont
50	*penkeʔcont
60	*šecšcont
70	*heptm̥ʔcont
80	*ʔoctōʔcont
90	*newn̥ʔcont
100	*cn̥tom

Syntax

Example texts

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 1)

• holwoh monewʔom muktōn homʔōnke ???? ????ke ṣn̥ʔyontor.

yaṣanmān muḵtīn wa-ḥamāḵīn ‘an aš-šaraf wa-n-ḥuqūq. Allāh ṭā-hān ‘aql wa-ḍamīr, wa-barā fī-hān ka-yahakarākirān sa-r-rūḥa ṯa-b-barāṯartāṯ.