Nominal Stems

(Yes, I am inspired by Uralic here, I know.)

Nominal stems have three main forms, called long, medium, and short stems. Which one is used determined by which case the noun is in, e.g. absolutive-nominative case takes the medium stem, ergative and accusative case take the long stem, and genitive case takes the short stem.

Both long stems and short stems are (primarily) derived from medium stems, through a process of fortition of consonants and entire clusters in long stems and of lenition of the same in short stems.

There are also for all three sizes of stem, for some stems, ablaut of stem vowels, with there being up to three ablaut forms, called I, II, and III (I was going to call them A, B, and C, but did not want to get them confused with the genders). These governed by individual combinations of case and number. For many stems, at least two of these are identical, particularly in neologisms and loans, where these are typically all identical (unless they are derived from another stem which already has variations in these).

This thus results in there being up to nine basic variations in a given stem. There are also variations at the ends of stems with how they interact with case/number markings, which tend to be specific to the particular marking, e.g. elision or modification of a final vowel or the addition of epenthetic vowels or consonants to stem stems.

Examples

Medial consonants in stems of form CVCV

Long - Medium - Short
/xpː/ <hpp> - /xpː/ <hpp> - /xpː/ <hpp>
/xpː/ <hpp> - /xpː/ <hpp> - /pː/ <pp>
/xpː/ <hpp> - /pː/ <pp> - /p/ 
/pː/ <pp> - /p/ - /β/ 
/p/ - /β/ - ∅
/β/ - ∅ - ∅
/xtː/ <htt> - /xtː/ <htt> - /xtː/ <htt>
/xtː/ <htt> - /xtː/ <htt> - /tː/ <tt>
/xtː/ <htt> - /tː/ <tt> - /t/ <t>
/tː/ <tt> - /t/ <t> - /ð/ <d>
/t/ <t> - /ð/ <d> - ∅
/ð/ <d> - ∅ - ∅
/xkː/ <hkk> - /xkː/ <hkk> - /xkː/ <hkk>
/xkː/ <hkk> - /xkː/ <hkk> - /kː/ <kk>
/xkː/ <hkk> - /kː/ <kk> - /k/ <k>
/kː/ <kk> - /k/ <k> - /ɣ/ <g>
/k/ <k> - /ɣ/ <g> - ∅
/ɣ/ <g> - ∅ - ∅
∅ - ∅ - ∅
/p/ - /β/ - /w/ <w>
/β/ - /w/ <w> - ∅
/xtːs/ <hcc> - /xtːs/ <hcc> - /xtːs/ <hcc>
/xtːs/ <hcc> - /xtːs/ <hcc> - /tːs/ <cc>
/xtːs/ <hcc> - /tːs/ <cc> - /ts/ <c>
/tːs/ <cc> - /ts/ <c> - /s/ <s>
/ts/ <c> - /s/ <s> - /x/ <h>
/sː/ <ss> - /sː/ <ss> - /sː/ <ss>
/sː/ <ss> - /sː/ <ss> - /s/ <s>
/sː/ <ss> - /s/ <s> - /x/ <h>
/s/ <s> - /x/ <h> - /x/ <h>
/s/ <s> - /x/ <h> - ∅
/xtːɕ/ <hćć> - /xtːɕ/ <hćć> - /xtːɕ/ <hćć>
/xtːɕ/ <hćć> - /xtːɕ/ <hćć> - /tːɕ/ <ćć>
/xtːɕ/ <hćć> - /tːɕ/ <ćć> - /tɕ/ <ć>
/tːɕ/ <ćć> - /tɕ/ <ć> - /ɕ/ <ś>
/tɕ/ <ć> - /ɕ/ <ś> - /x/ <h>
/ɕː/ <śś> - /ɕː/ <śś> - /ɕː/ <śś>
/ɕː/ <śś> - /ɕː/ <śś> - /ɕ/ <ś>
/ɕː/ <śś> - /ɕ/ <ś> - /x/ <h>
/ɕ/ <ś> - /x/ <h> - /x/ <h>
/ɕ/ <ś> - /x/ <h> - ∅
/x/ <h> - /x/ <h> - /x/ <h>
/x/ <h> - /x/ <h> - ∅
/x/ <h> - ∅ - ∅
/j/ <j> - /j/ <j> - /j/ <j>
/j/ <j> - /j/ <j> - ∅
/j/ <j> - ∅ - ∅
/βm/ <bm> - /βm/ <bm> - /βm/ <bm> (Note that /βm/ is assimilated to [bm].)
/βm/ <bm> - /βm/ <bm> - /mː/ <mm> (Note that /βm/ is assimilated to [bm].)
/βm/ <bm> - /mː/ <mm> - /m/ <m> (Note that /βm/ is assimilated to [bm].)
/mː/ <mm> - /m/ <m> - /m/ <m>
/m/ <m> - /m/ <m> - /m/ <m>
/ðn/ <dn> - /ðn/ <dn> - /ðn/ <dn> (Note that /ðn/ is assimilated to [dn].)
/ðn/ <dn> - /ðn/ <dn> - /nː/ <nn> (Note that /ðnː/ is assimilated to [dn].)
/ðn/ <dn> - /nː/ <nn> - /n/ <n> (Note that /ðn/ is assimilated to [dn].)
/nː/ <nn> - /n/ <n> - /n/ <n>
/n/ <n> - /n/ <n> - /n/ <n>
/ɣɲ/ <gń> - /ɣɲ/ <gń> - /ɣɲ/ <gń> (Note that /ɣɲ/ is assimilated to [ɟɲ].)
/ɣɲ/ <gń> - /ɣɲ/ <gń> - /ɲː/ <ńń> (Note that /ɣɲ/ is assimilated to [ɟɲː].)
/ɣɲ/ <gń> - /ɲː/ <ńń> - /ɲ/ <ń> (Note that /ɣɲ/ is assimilated to [ɟɲ].)
/ɲː/ <ńń> - /ɲ/ <ń> - /ɲ/ <ń>
/ɲ/ <ń> - /ɲ/ <ń> - /ɲ/ <ń>
/rː/ <rr> - /rː/ <rr> - /rː/ <rr>
/rː/ <rr> - /rː/ <rr> - /r/ <r>
/rː/ <rr> - /r/ <r> - /r/ <r>
/r/ <r> - /r/ <r> - /r/ <r>
/ðl/ <dl> - /ðl/ <dl> - /ðl/ <dl> (Note that /ðl/ is assimilated to [dl].)
/ðl/ <dl> - /ðl/ <dl> - /lː/ <ll> (Note that /ðl/ is assimilated to [dl].)
/ðl/ <dl> - /lː/ <ll> - /l/ <l> (Note that /ðl/ is assimilated to [dl].)
/lː/ <ll> - /l/ <l> - /l/ <l>
/l/ <l> - /l/ <l> - /l/ <l>
/ɣʎ/ <gĺ> - /ɣʎ/ <gĺ> - /ɣʎ/ <gĺ> (Note that /ɣʎ/ is assimilated to [ɟʎ].)
/ɣʎ/ <gĺ> - /ɣʎ/ <gĺ> - /ʎː/ <ĺĺ> (Note that /ɣʎ/ is assimilated to [ɟʎ].)
/ɣʎ/ <gĺ> - /ʎː/ <ĺĺ> - /ʎ/ <ĺ> (Note that /ɣʎ/ is assimilated to [ɟʎ].)
/ʎː/ <ĺĺ> - /ʎ/ <ĺ> - /j/ <j>
/ʎ/ <ĺ> - /j/ <j> - /j/ <j>
/ʎ/ <ĺ> - /j/ <j> - ∅
/β/ - /w/ <w> - /w/ <w>
/w/ <w> - /w/ <w> - /w/ <w>
/w/ <w> - /w/ <w> - ∅
/w/ <w> - ∅ - ∅

There will be more, because other consonant clusters in this position will have their own patterns, but I do not feel like delineating all the possibilities, which may be rather word-specific, here.

Examples of ones for other clusters include:

/xpːt/ <hppt> - /xpːt/ <hppt> - /xpːt/ <hppt>
/xpːt/ <hppt> - /xpːt/ <hppt> - /pːt/ <ppt>
/xpːt/ <hppt> - /pːt/ <ppt> - /pt/ <pt>
/pːt/ <ppt> - /pt/ <pt> - /βt/ <bt> (Note that /βt/ is assimilated to [ɸt] except in very careful speech.)
/pt/ <pt> - /βt/ <bt> - /t/ <t> (Note that /βt/ is assimilated to [ɸt] except in very careful speech.)
/βt/ <bt> - /t/ <t> - /ð/ <d> (Note that /βt/ is assimilated to [ɸt] except in very careful speech.)
/xpːk/ <hppk> - /xpːk/ <hppk> - /xpːk/ <hppk>
/xpːk/ <hppk> - /xpːk/ <hppk> - /pːk/ <ppk>
/xpːk/ <hppk> - /pːk/ <ppk> - /pk/ <pk>
/pːk/ <ppk> - /pk/ <pk> - /βk/ <bk> (Note that /βk/ is assimilated to [ɸk] except in very careful speech.)
/pk/ <pk> - /βk/ <bk> - /k/ <k> (Note that /βk/ is assimilated to [ɸk] except in very careful speech.)
/βk/ <bk> - /k/ <k> - /ɣ/ <g> (Note that /βk/ is assimilated to [ɸk] except in very careful speech.)
/xtːp/ <http> - /xtːp/ <http> - /xtːp/ <http>
/xtːp/ <http> - /xtːp/ <http> - /tːp/ <ttp>
/xtːp/ <http> - /tːp/ <ttp> - /tp/ <tp>
/tːp/ <ttp> - /tp/ <tp> - /ðp/ <dp> (Note that /ðp/ is assimilated to [θp] except in very careful speech.)
/tp/ <tp> - /ðp/ <dp> - /p/ (Note that /ðp/ is assimilated to [θp] except in very careful speech.)
/ðp/ <dp> - /p/ - /β/ (Note that /ðp/ is assimilated to [θp] except in very careful speech.)
/xtːk/ <httk> - /xtːk/ <httk> - /xtːk/ <httk>
/xtːk/ <httk> - /xtːk/ <httk> - /tːk/ <ttk>
/xtːk/ <httk> - /tːk/ <ttk> - /tk/ <tk>
/tːk/ <ttk> - /tk/ <tk> - /ðk/ <dk> (Note that /ðk/ is assimilated to [θk] except in very careful speech.)
/tk/ <tk> - /ðk/ <dk> - /k/ <k> (Note that /ðk/ is assimilated to [θk] except in very careful speech.)
/ðk/ <dk> - /k/ <k> - /ɣ/ <g> (Note that /ðk/ is assimilated to [θk] except in very careful speech.)
/xkːp/ <hkkp> - /xkːp/ <hkkp> - /xkːp/ <hkkp>
/xkːp/ <hkkp> - /xkːp/ <hkkp> - /kːp/ <kkp>
/xkːp/ <hkkp> - /kːp/ <kkp> - /kp/ <kp>
/kːp/ <kkp> - /kp/ <kp> - /ɣp/ <gp> (Note that /ɣp/ is assimilated to [xp] except in very careful speech.)
/kp/ <kp> - /ɣp/ <gp> - /p/ (Note that /ɣp/ is assimilated to [xp] except in very careful speech.)
/ɣp/ <gp> - /p/ - /β/ (Note that /ɣp/ is assimilated to [xp] except in very careful speech.)
/xkːt/ <hkkt> - /xkːt/ <hkkt> - /xkːt/ <hkkt>
/xkːt/ <hkkt> - /xkːt/ <hkkt> - /kːt/ <kkt>
/xkːt/ <hkkt> - /kːt/ <kkt> - /kt/ <kt>
/kːt/ <kkt> - /kt/ <kt> - /ɣt/ <gt> (Note that /ɣt/ is assimilated to [xt] except in very careful speech.)
/kt/ <kt> - /ɣt/ <gt> - /t/ <t> (Note that /ɣt/ is assimilated to [xt] except in very careful speech.)
/ɣt/ <gt> - /t/ <t> - /ð/ <d> (Note that /ɣt/ is assimilated to [xt] except in very careful speech.)

Ablaut

Ablaut takes three forms, I, II, and III as previously mentioned. These involve alternation of vowels typically in the first syllable of a stem, and is linked to case, e.g. absolutive-nominative and accusative cases takes form I, ergative case takes form II, and genitive case takes form III.

There are a number of different patterns. One common pattern is for form I to take an unrounded front vowel, form II to take a matching back vowel, and form III to take a matching rounded front vowel:
/i/ - /u/ - /y/ <y>
/e/ <é> - /o/ <ó> - /y/ <y>
/e/ <é> - /o/ <ó> - /œ/ <ø>
/ɛ/ <e> - /ɔ/ <o> - /œ/ <ø>
/iː/ <ii> - /uː/ <uu> - /yː/ <yy>
/ɛː/ <ee> - /ɔː/ <oo> - /œː/ <øø>
/ɪ̃ː/ <in> - /ʊ̃ː/ <un> - /ʏ̃ː/ <yn>
/æ̃ː/ <en> - /ɒ̃ː/ <on> - /œ̃ː/ <øn>
/iə̯/ <ie> - /uə̯/ <ue> - /yə̯/ <ye>
/ɛi̯/ <ei> - /ɔu̯/ <ou> - /œy̯/ <øy>

There is a similar pattern:
/a/ <a> - /ɒ/ <å> - /ɛ/ <e>
/ɑː/ <aa> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /ɛː/ <ee>
/ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /æ̃ː/ <en>

There are then patterns that are like the first set, but have form III take an unrounded front vowel:
/i/ - /u/ - /i/ 
/e/ <é> - /o/ <ó> - /e/ <é>
/ɛ/ <e> - /ɔ/ <o> - /ɛ/ <e>
/iː/ <ii> - /uː/ <uu> - /iː/ <ii>
/ɛː/ <ee> - /ɔː/ <oo> - /ɛː/ <ee>
/ɪ̃ː/ <in> - /ʊ̃ː/ <un> - /ɪ̃ː/ <in>
/æ̃ː/ <en> - /ɒ̃ː/ <on> - /æ̃ː/ <en>
/iə̯/ <ie> - /uə̯/ <ue> - /iə̯/ <ie>
/ɛi̯/ <ei> - /ɔu̯/ <ou> - /ɛi̯/ <ei>

There are similar patterns:
/a/ <a> - /ɒ/ <å> - /a/ <a>
/ɑː/ <aa> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /ɑː/ <aa>
/ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /ɑ̃ː/ <an>

There are also patterns that are like the first set, but have form I take a back vowel:
/u/ - /u/ - /y/ <y>
/o/ <ó> - /o/ <ó> - /y/ <y>
/o/ <ó> - /o/ <ó> - /œ/ <ø>
/ɔ/ <o> - /ɔ/ <o> - /œ/ <ø>
/uː/ <uu> - /uː/ <uu> - /yː/ <yy>
/ɔː/ <oo> - /ɔː/ <oo> - /œː/ <øø>
/ʊ̃ː/ <un> - /ʊ̃ː/ <un> - /ʏ̃ː/ <yn>
/ɒ̃ː/ <on> - /ɒ̃ː/ <on> - /œ̃ː/ <øn>
/uə̯/ <ue> - /uə̯/ <ue> - /yə̯/ <ye>
/ɔu̯/ <ou> - /ɔu̯/ <ou> - /œy̯/ <øy>

There are also patterns that are like the first set, but have form I take an unrounded back vowel:
/y/ <y> - /u/ - /y/ <y>
/y/ <y> - /o/ <ó> - /y/ <y>
/œ/ <ø> - /o/ <ó> - /œ/ <ø>
/œ/ <ø> - /ɔ/ <o> - /œ/ <ø>
/yː/ <yy> - /uː/ <uu> - /yː/ <yy>
/œː/ <øø> - /ɔː/ <oo> - /œː/ <øø>
/ʏ̃ː/ <yn> - /ʊ̃ː/ <un> - /ʏ̃ː/ <yn>
/œ̃ː/ <øn> - /ɒ̃ː/ <on> - /œ̃ː/ <øn>
/yə̯/ <ye> - /uə̯/ <ue> - /yə̯/ <ye>
/œy̯/ <øy> - /ɔu̯/ <ou> - /œy̯/ <øy>

Then there are patterns that differ from the previous ones in that form II takes a low vowel and form III is derived from form I:
/i/ - /ɒ/ <å> - /i/ 
/e/ <é> - /ɒ/ <å> - /e/ <é>
/ɛ/ <e> - /ɒ/ <å> - /ɛ/ <e>
/iː/ <ii> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /iː/ <ii>
/ɛː/ <ee> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /ɛː/ <ee>
/ɪ̃ː/ <in> - /ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /ɪ̃ː/ <in>
/æ̃ː/ <en> - /ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /æ̃ː/ <en>
/iə̯/ <ie> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /iə̯/ <ie>
/ɛi̯/ <ei> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /ɛi̯/ <ei>
/u/ - /ɒ/ <å> - /y/ <y>
/o/ <ó> - /ɒ/ <å> - /y/ <y>
/o/ <ó> - /ɒ/ <å> - /œ/ <ø>
/ɔ/ <o> - /ɒ/ <å> - /œ/ <ø>
/uː/ <uu> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /yː/ <yy>
/ɔː/ <oo> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /œː/ <øø>
/ʊ̃ː/ <un> - /ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /ʏ̃ː/ <yn>
/ɒ̃ː/ <on> - /ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /œ̃ː/ <øn>
/uə̯/ <ue> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /yə̯/ <ye>
/ɔu̯/ <ou> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /œy̯/ <øy>
/y/ <y> - /ɒ/ <å> - /y/ <y>
/œ/ <ø> - /ɒ/ <å> - /œ/ <ø>
/yː/ <yy> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /yː/ <yy>
/œː/ <øø> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /œː/ <øø>
/ʏ̃ː/ <yn> - /ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /ʏ̃ː/ <yn>
/œ̃ː/ <øn> - /ɑ̃ː/ <an> - /œ̃ː/ <øn>
/yə̯/ <ye> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /yə̯/ <ye>
/œy̯/ <øy> - /ɑː/ <aa> - /œy̯/ <øy>

Note that this is not an exhaustive set of patterns, that many words that are loanwords or neologisms follow no particular pattern at all, and that some words may have their own idiosyncratic patterns.

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