Proto-Isles
| Proto-Isles | |
| Period | c. -2000 YP |
| Spoken in | SW Tuysáfa |
| Total speakers | unknown |
| Writing system | none |
| Classification | Isles languages Proto-Isles |
| Typology | |
| Basic word order | V-last, topic-comment |
| Morphology | agglutinating |
| Alignment | NOM-ACC |
| Credits | |
| Created by | Ran |
Proto-Isles is the reconstructed ancestor of the Isles language family, found all across the Ttirukan and Tymytan archipelagoes off the east coast of Peilaš. At least one language, furthermore, is spoken on the continent of Zeluzhia. The family did not originate on the islands, however: Proto-Isles was spoken in the southwestern part of Tuysáfa. Most linguists and archaeologians date Proto-Isles to approximately -2000 YP, and the colonization of the islands to c. -1500 YP.
Features
Proto-Isles is reconstructed with 14 consonants (*p t ʦ k ʔ d ʣ ɡ s ħ m n j w) and three vowels (*a i u). It also had a pitch accent. Nouns and conjunctions, but not adjectives, inflected for number (singular vs. plural) and five cases (nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, benefactive). Verbs inflected for tense (past vs. non-past), aspect (telic, atelic, imperfective, delimitative) and epistemic mood (sensory, non-sensory, subjunctive). Word order was topic-comment, with the verb in sentence-final position - most commonly SOV or OSV. Distinctive features of Proto-Isles were (sometimes multiple) reduplication of initial syllables, serial verb constructions, and a base-4 number system.
Descendants
Known direct descendants of Proto-Isles include the following languages, most dating to approx. 0-200 YP:
- Máotatšàlì, spoken on Tymytỳs off the northeastern edge of Peilaš
- Mûtsipsa', spoken on the Mûtsinamtsys islands off the Siixtaguna coast
- Thokyunèhòta, formerly spoken in Sumarušuxi off the Lotoka coast
- Naxuutayi, spoken in Sumarušuxi
- Ppãrwak, spoken on Ttiruku
- Zele, spoken on the northwesternern tip of Zeluzhia
- Affanonic, spoken in Affalinnei in NE Peilaš
The two northernmost languages, Máotatšàlì and Mûtsipsa', are sometimes grouped together because of certain similar developments in terms of phonology, grammar and lexicon. However, the evidence is inconclusive. The similarities may as well be due to areal influence, such as extensive contact both with each other and with native languages of the Núalís-Takuña family.
See also
- Proto-Isles/Grammar
- Proto-Isles/Lexicon
- Zompist's reconstruction of "Proto-Ranic" from the 2005 Reconstruction Relay game.
