Pataxea
Proto-Azkali is the reconstructed ancestor of the modern Azkali language. Along with Proto-Ukilen, the reconstruction on Proto-Azkali is one of the most extensive compared to other languages. The first reconstructions of Proto-Azkali started in 1500 AD, leading to the establishment of many modern linguistic reconstruction techniques that have been used for reconstructions of other languages.
History
Throughout early Azkali history, there have been countless records that corroborate the existence of Proto-Azkali as a language. The oldest grammar in the world, the Azalyi Gazi Chixgartai Ka, describes Proto-Azkali's grammar and phonology, and dates to atleast 900 BCE, and as late as 1100 BCE.
Urhemiat
The homeland of Proto-Azkali speakers has been debated for centuries. There are two leading theories, the Northern Ukilen hypothesis and the Southwest Zuvia hypothesis, also rather infamously known as the Zuvia conondrum.
Northern Ukilen hypothesis
The Northern Ukilen hypothesis, first proposed in 1601 by Oikan polymath [insert name here], posits the homeland of Proto Azkali speakers in Northeast Ukilen continent, centered around Bongsibon. The Northern Ukilen hypothesis was the first theory for the homeland of Azkali ever proposed, and directly caused increased awareness of reconstruction of Proto-Azkali.
The Zuvia Conondrum
Pre East-Brausian substrate hypothesis
Phonology
Consonants
The consonants of Proto-Azkali are, in standard notation:
| Consonants | Labial | Coronal | Dorsal | Glottal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alveolar | Palatal | |||||||
| Plain | Labialized | Plain | Labialized | |||||
| Nasals | *m
/m/ |
*n
/n/ |
*nw
/nʷ/ |
ny
/ɲ/ |
*ng
/ŋ/ |
|||
| Plosives | voiceless | *p
/p/ |
*t
/t/ |
*tw
/tʷ/ |
*c
/c/ |
*k
/k/ |
*kw
/kʷ/ |
|
| voiced | *b
/p'~b/ |
*d
/t'~d/ |
*dw
/tʷ'~dʷ/ |
*g
/k'~g/ |
*g
/kʷ'~gʷ/ |
|||
| Fricatives | voiceless | *s
/s/ |
*sw
/sʷ/ |
*ch
/ç/ |
*x
/x~χ/ |
*xw
/xʷ~χʷ/ |
*h
/h/ | |
| voiced | *z
/s'~z/ |
*zw
/zʷ/ |
||||||
| Semivowels | *l
/l/ |
*y
/j/ |
||||||
| Rhotic | *r
/ɹ/ |
*rw
/ɹʷ/ |
||||||
Nasal sounds could not appear word initially, nor it appears could *s or *z. The rhotic *r /ɹ/ possibly could have been a trill /r/ word initially.
Vowels
The vowel system of Proto-Azkali was a vertical vowel system, containing the three vowels /i/, /e/, and /a/, shown below;
| Front | |
|---|---|
| Close | *i
/i~ɪ/ |
| Mid | *e
/e~ɛ/ |
| Open | *a
/a/ |
Morphology
Nouns
Nouns in Proto-Azkali declined for 6 cases: the Nominative, marking the object of a transitive or intransitive verb, the Ergative, marking the subject of a transitive verb, the Accusative marking the direct object of a transitive verb and in past clauses, the subject of intransitive verbs and the direct objects of transitive verbs, the Genitive, marking a relationship between two nouns, the Privative, marking the lack of ownership specifically on a marked noun, and the Instrumental, marking the noun as being the instrument by which the verb was accomplished (this can be a physical object or a concept). Neither Proto-Azkali verbs nor nouns nor adjectives were inflected, with all inflection being conveyed via particles.
Proto-Azkali had a split-ergative morphological alignment. In the future and present tenses, the nominative and accusative cases were used; in past tenses, the ergative case was used, and the accusative case acted as the absolutive case. Case marking appeared to have been conveyed via particles, shown below:
| Nominative | Ø |
|---|---|
| Ergative | *ne |
| Accusative | *ka |
| Genitive | *kaca |
| Privative | *za |
| Instrumental | *gazi |
Verbs
Verbs in Proto-Azkali were not conjugated. Instead, all relevant information were signified, like nouns, with particles. These particles changed for person, tense, aspect, and mood.
Lexicon
| No. | Gloss | Proto-Azkali
(Nora 1960) |
Notes | Modern Azkali |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | *ke | (or possibly *ki) | go |
| 2 | you (singular) | *te | te | |
| 3 | he, she, it | *bai | mei | |
| 4 | we | *eswen | ko | |
| 5 | you (plural) | *ean | ku | |
| 6 | they | *en | kei | |
| 7 | this | *anasgeri | nazkuriz | |
| 8 | that | *keri | kauli | |
| 9 | here | *on | hon | |
| 10 | there | heri | ||
| 11 | who | *gamea | amori (interrogative) | |
| 12 | what | *gamera | amozeri (interrogative) | |
| 13 | where | *gachera | amicheri (interrogative) | |
| 14 | when | *gesera | isari (interrogative) | |
| 15 | how | *kea | amera (interrogative) | |
| 16 | not | *ga(n)- | hu- | |
| 17 | all | *ke(n)- | gen- | |
| 18 | many | *gazg(i)- | asti- | |
| 19 | some | *eze(n)- | sen- | |
| 20 | few | *-(n)an | irria- | |
| 21 | other | gou- | ||
| 22 | one | *chat | at | |
| 23 | two | *chatei | aitei | |
| 24 | three | *charei | iriu | |
| 25 | four | *chamadei | madhet | |
| 26 | five | *chakei | kaizo | |
| 27 | big | motzi | ||
| 28 | long | zogi | ||
| 29 | wide | sogi | ||
| 30 | thick | astsathi | ||
| 31 | heavy | *debi | dheri | |
| 32 | small | *mei | mei | |
| 33 | short | |||
| 34 | narrow | |||
| 35 | thin | |||
| 36 | woman | *chemega | kuiga | |
| 37 | man (adult male) | *chamiga | maiga | |
| 38 | man (kali being) | *echalia | (either *echalia or
*egalia were likely used) |
kali |
| 39 | child | *esachigi | atsini | |
| 40 | wife | *chetaz | eitoiz | |
| 41 | husband | paotoiz | ||
| 42 | mother | *mama | mama | |
| 43 | father | *papa | papa | |
| 44 | animal | *chitzaga | isana | |
| 45 | fish | |||
| 46 | bird | |||
| 47 | dog | |||
| 48 | louse | |||
| 49 | snake | *ezaze | (possibly onomatopoeic) | tzatzu |
| 50 | worm | *azardaxe | tzoradhei | |
| 51 | tree | zamait | ||
| 52 | forest | zamaikon | ||
| 53 | stick | *dera | dhoru | |
| 54 | fruit | *ralisa | *ralitsa | |
| 55 | seed | *cai | chai | |
| 56 | leaf | |||
| 57 | root | |||
| 58 | bark (of a tree) | |||
| 59 | flower | |||
| 60 | grass | |||
| 61 | rope | |||
| 62 | skin | |||
| 63 | meat | |||
| 64 | blood | |||
| 65 | bone | |||
| 66 | fat (noun) | |||
| 67 | egg | |||
| 68 | horn | *echoirwa | koiha | |
| 69 | tail | *twacha | taka | |
| feather | ||||
| hair | *ehwel | terel | ||
| head | ||||
| ear | ||||
| eye | ||||
| nose | ||||
| mouth | ||||
| tooth | ||||
| tongue (organ) | ||||
| fingernail | ||||
| foot | ||||
| leg | ||||
| knee | ||||
| hand | ||||
| wing | ||||
| belly | ||||
| guts | ||||
| neck | ||||
| back | ||||
| breast | peke | heizke | ||
| heart | ||||
| liver | ||||
| to drink | ||||
| to eat | ||||
| to bite | ||||
| to suck | ||||
| to spit | ||||
| to vomit | ||||
| to blow | ||||
| to breathe | ||||
| to laugh | ||||
| to see | ||||
| to hear | ||||
| to know | ||||
| to think | ||||
| to smell | ||||
| to fear | ||||
| to sleep | ||||
| to live | ||||
| to die | ||||
| to kill | ||||
| to fight | ||||
| to hunt | ||||
| to hit | ||||
| to cut | ||||
| to split | ||||
| to stab | ||||
| to scratch | ||||
| to dig | ||||
| to swim | ||||
| to fly | ||||
| to walk | ||||
| to come | ||||
| to lie (as in a bed) | ||||
| to sit | ||||
| to stand | ||||
| to turn (intransitive) | ||||
| to fall | ||||
| to give | ||||
| to hold | ||||
| to squeeze | ||||
| to rub | ||||
| to wash | ||||
| to wipe | ||||
| to pull | ||||
| to push | ||||
| to throw | ||||
| to tie | ||||
| to sew | ||||
| to count | ||||
| to say | ||||
| to sing | ||||
| to play | ||||
| to float | ||||
| to flow | ||||
| to freeze | ||||
| to swell | ||||
| sun | ||||
| moon | ||||
| star | ||||
| water | ||||
| rain | ||||
| river | ||||
| lake | ||||
| sea | ||||
| salt | ||||
| stone | ||||
| sand | ||||
| dust | ||||
| earth | ||||
| cloud | ||||
| fog | ||||
| sky | ||||
| wind | ||||
| snow | ||||
| ice | ||||
| smoke | ||||
| fire | ||||
| ash | ||||
| to burn | ||||
| road | ||||
| mountain | ||||
| red | ||||
| green | ||||
| yellow | ||||
| white | ||||
| black | ||||
| night | ||||
| day | ||||
| year | ||||
| warm | ||||
| cold | ||||
| full | ||||
| new | ||||
| old | ||||
| good | ||||
| bad | ||||
| rotten | ||||
| dirty | ||||
| straight | ||||
| round | ||||
| sharp (as a knife) | ||||
| dull (as a knife) | ||||
| smooth | ||||
| wet | ||||
| dry | ||||
| correct | ||||
| near | ||||
| far | ||||
| right | ||||
| left | ||||
| at | ||||
| in | ||||
| with | ||||
| and | ||||
| if | ||||
| because | ||||
| name |