Proto-Namuno-Ethian language
| Proto-Namuno-Ethian language | |
|---|---|
| PNE | |
| Reconstruction of | Namuno-Ethian languages |
| Region | Originally Namun river |
| Era | 4600 BNB - 1200 BNB |
| Lower-order reconstructions | |
| Part of a series on |
| the Namuno-Ethians |
|---|
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Proto-Namuno-Ethian is the reconstructed ancestor of all Namuno-Ethian languages, including Phyrean, Ragham, Toamts, Ascon, and many others. Despite there not being any written or spoken record of the language, modern researchers have what are thought to be fairly accurate guesses of the language's grammar, phonology and vocabulary thanks to reconstructive techniques such as the comparative method.
Origin
The Namuno-Ethian urheimat is reliably traceable to the shores of the Namun river, where the Proto-Namuno-Ethians first became a distinct ethnic group by the early 4600s BNB. Though no written records exist of this era, artifacts found in the area match the theorised day-to-day life of PNE speakers: such evidences of husbandry (specifically of goats and horses), a fascination with phallic imagery, and beer-making confirm the connection, according to the majority opinion of linguists.
The language spread around the northern and western Orddonach as a result of the Proto-Namuno-Ethians mass migrating into Phyrea, crossing through Mune.
Phonology
Consonants
Proto-Namuno-Ethian had a fairly large 34-consonant inventory.
| Labial / Labiodental | Alveolar / Dental / Linguodental | Palatal | Retroflex | Velar | Labio-velar | Glottal | Pharyngeal | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unvoiced | Voiced | Unvoiced | Voiced | Unvoiced | Voiced | Unvoiced | Voiced | Unvoiced | Voiced | |||||
| Nasal | m /m/ | n /n/ | ||||||||||||
| Plosive | Plain | p /p/ | b /b/ | t /t/ | d /d/ | ḱ /c/ | ǵ /ɟ/ | k /k/ | g /g/ | kʷ /kʷ/ | gʷ /gʷ/ | |||
| Aspirated | pʰ /pʰ/ | bʰ /bʰ/ | tʰ /tʰ/ | dʰ /dʰ/ | ḱʰ /cʰ/ | ǵʰ /ɟʰ/ | kʰ /kʰ/ | gʰ /gʰ/ | kʷʰ /kʷʰ/ | gʷʰ /gʷʰ/ | ||||
| Fricative | f /f/ | s /s/ | h2 /ç/ | rʰ /ʐ/ | h1 /x/ | h3 /h/ | h4 /ʕ/ | |||||||
| Trill | r /r/ | |||||||||||||
| Approximant | Plain | j /j/ | w /w/ | |||||||||||
| Lateral | l /l/ | lʰ /ʎ̝̊/ | ||||||||||||
Vowels and syllabic consonants
PNE presents 3 distinct vowels, with each having a long counterpart.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | (i /i/)[1] | (u /u/)[2] | |
| Mid | e /e/ • ē /e:/ | a /a~ə/ • ā /a:~ə:/ | o /o/ • ō /o:/ |
Although tendentially vowels filled the role of syllable nuclei, some consonants were able to fill the void as well. These were nasals [m n], liquids [r l], and the laryngeal fricatives [x ç h ʕ].
Syllable structure
PNE syllable structure can be notated as (C)(W)(R)V(R)(W)(C), with C being any consonant except W and R, W being either [w] or [m], and R being any of [n r j l].