<!>dhoklang Scratchpad (NP: Algonquoclone) (2015-06-24 04:50:50)
dhoklang Scratchpad (NP: Algonquitut?)
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? dhok posts: 235
, Alkali Metal, Bemidji, United States
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Finally have a proto-lang and daughter changes that I really, really like, and that I think I can run with. We'll call it Proto-Nahtak, from nahtāk 'people, tribe'. Briefly, its phonology is as follows:

Plain stops/affricates: /p t ts tʃ k kʷ ʔ/ <p t c č k kʷ ʔ>
Ejectives: /p' t' ts' tʃ' k' kʷ'/ <p' t' c' č' k' kʷ'>
Nasals: /m n ŋ/ <m n ŋ>
Fricatives: /θ s ʃ h ɬ/ <θ s š h ł>
Liquids: /w ɾ l j/ <w r l y>

Short vowels: /a e i o ɨ/  <a e i o u>
Long vowels: /a: e: i: o: ɨ:/  <ā ē ī ō ɨ̄>

Syllable structure is CV(C). Permitted codas are /t k ʔ N s š h w l y/, where N is a nasal assimilating to the following consonant (or, word-finally, /n/).
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Okay, we've gotten that over with. On to the grammar, which is a lot more interesting. Proto-Nahtak is heavily influenced by the Algonquian languages- I've been on something of an Algonquian bender recently. There are basically three lexical classes- nouns, verbs, and particles- and the verb is the pivot of the sentence, to the extent that many Proto-Nahtak sentences consist solely of a verb. I've worked out the nominal morphology pretty well, but the verbal morphology only somewhat, so I'll start with nouns.

Nouns may be animate or inanimate in gender, and this distinction is mostly but not entirely along the lines of natural animacy. So, heθe 'dog' is animate, and nismā 'potato' is inanimate, but there are also many seemingly illogical assignments- compare animate kʷēło 'deciduous tree' with inanimate ʔahmi 'conifer'.

Nouns carry inflection for possession, number, and (in animates only) obviation. They also have distinct locative and (again in animates only) vocative forms. (Inflection to come- gotta go deal with some bread...)