Old Mkroh
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 2:04 am
Old Mkroh is a language I've started working on that is descended from Proto-Tshyak, but which has radically changed its syntax and morphology from a SVO, head-initial, serial verb-heavy language with minimal nominal morphology to an SOV, mostly head-final, case-heavy language (while still retaining serial verbs).
Aside from word order and syntax, its largest innovation is its cases which, aside from its ergative and absolutive cases, are derived from serial verbs that became reduced and attached to their objects as clitics (cases attach to NPs rather than to nouns). Also, while Proto-Tshyak only marks animate nouns for number, it has innovated marking inanimate nouns for number as well, combining this with an animacy distinction for dual and plural nouns in all cases (Proto-Tshyak only distinguished animacy in ergative case). It largely preserves Proto-Tshyak verbal morphology, aside from innovating number marking on verbs for the animate argument that is highest in the person hierarchy (derived from Proto-Tshyak number marking for SAPs).
Anyways, I should post something else about it, so you do not have to go to the link above, so here is the phonology:
Consonants
Nasals: /m mʲ n nʷ nʲ ɲ ŋ ŋʷ/ m my n ny nw ŋy ŋ ŋw
Voiced stops: /b bʲ d dʷ dʲ ɟ g gʷ/ b by d dw dy gy g gw
Unaspirated voiceless stops: /p pʲ t tʷ tʲ c k kʷ ʔ ʔʷ ʔʲ/ p py t tw ty ky k kw ʔ ʔw ʔy
Aspirated voiceless stops: /pʰ pʲʰ tʰ tʷʰ tʲʰ cʰ kʰ kʷʰ/ ph pyh th twh tyh kyh kh kwh
Voiced affricates: /dz dzʷ dzʲ dʑ dʑʷ/ dz dzw dzy dź dźw
Unaspirated voiceless africates: /ts tsʷ tsʲ tɕ tɕʷ/ ts tsw tsy tś tśw
Aspirated voiceless affricates: /tsʰ tsʷʰ tsʲʰ tɕʰ tɕʷʰ/ tsh tswh tsyh tśh tśwh
Fricatives: /ʍ s sʷ sʲ ɕ ɕʷ ɬ ɬʷ ç h/ hw s sw sy ś św hl hlw hy h
Voiceless liquids: /ɻ̥ ɻ̥ʷ/ hr hrw
Voiced liquids: /ɻ ɻʷ l lʷ/ r rw l lw
Semivowels: /w j/ w y
Vowels
Monophthongs
Close: /i u/ i u
Mid: /e/ [ə] /o/ e o
Open: /a/ a
Diphthongs
Rising: /iə uə/ ie uo
Tones
High: í é á ó ú íe úo
Mid-rising: ǐ ě ǎ ǒ ǔ ǐe ŭo
Mid: i e a o u ie uo
Low: ì è à ò ù ìe ùo
Syllable Structure and Phonotactics
C({ɻ l w j})V({p t k m n ŋ ɻ l w j})
Initial syllables may be preceded by prefixes of /ʔ ɻ l/ followed by [ə] except for syllables starting in approximants. /w j/ can only follow /ʔ/. /ɻ l/ can only follow nasals, plosives, and sibilant fricatives, and /l/ cannot follow coronal plosives. Nominal suffixes tend to be open syllables even when historically derived from closed syllables. Non-initial syllables also tend to be unaspirated.
Aside from word order and syntax, its largest innovation is its cases which, aside from its ergative and absolutive cases, are derived from serial verbs that became reduced and attached to their objects as clitics (cases attach to NPs rather than to nouns). Also, while Proto-Tshyak only marks animate nouns for number, it has innovated marking inanimate nouns for number as well, combining this with an animacy distinction for dual and plural nouns in all cases (Proto-Tshyak only distinguished animacy in ergative case). It largely preserves Proto-Tshyak verbal morphology, aside from innovating number marking on verbs for the animate argument that is highest in the person hierarchy (derived from Proto-Tshyak number marking for SAPs).
Anyways, I should post something else about it, so you do not have to go to the link above, so here is the phonology:
Consonants
Nasals: /m mʲ n nʷ nʲ ɲ ŋ ŋʷ/ m my n ny nw ŋy ŋ ŋw
Voiced stops: /b bʲ d dʷ dʲ ɟ g gʷ/ b by d dw dy gy g gw
Unaspirated voiceless stops: /p pʲ t tʷ tʲ c k kʷ ʔ ʔʷ ʔʲ/ p py t tw ty ky k kw ʔ ʔw ʔy
Aspirated voiceless stops: /pʰ pʲʰ tʰ tʷʰ tʲʰ cʰ kʰ kʷʰ/ ph pyh th twh tyh kyh kh kwh
Voiced affricates: /dz dzʷ dzʲ dʑ dʑʷ/ dz dzw dzy dź dźw
Unaspirated voiceless africates: /ts tsʷ tsʲ tɕ tɕʷ/ ts tsw tsy tś tśw
Aspirated voiceless affricates: /tsʰ tsʷʰ tsʲʰ tɕʰ tɕʷʰ/ tsh tswh tsyh tśh tśwh
Fricatives: /ʍ s sʷ sʲ ɕ ɕʷ ɬ ɬʷ ç h/ hw s sw sy ś św hl hlw hy h
Voiceless liquids: /ɻ̥ ɻ̥ʷ/ hr hrw
Voiced liquids: /ɻ ɻʷ l lʷ/ r rw l lw
Semivowels: /w j/ w y
Vowels
Monophthongs
Close: /i u/ i u
Mid: /e/ [ə] /o/ e o
Open: /a/ a
Diphthongs
Rising: /iə uə/ ie uo
Tones
High: í é á ó ú íe úo
Mid-rising: ǐ ě ǎ ǒ ǔ ǐe ŭo
Mid: i e a o u ie uo
Low: ì è à ò ù ìe ùo
Syllable Structure and Phonotactics
C({ɻ l w j})V({p t k m n ŋ ɻ l w j})
Initial syllables may be preceded by prefixes of /ʔ ɻ l/ followed by [ə] except for syllables starting in approximants. /w j/ can only follow /ʔ/. /ɻ l/ can only follow nasals, plosives, and sibilant fricatives, and /l/ cannot follow coronal plosives. Nominal suffixes tend to be open syllables even when historically derived from closed syllables. Non-initial syllables also tend to be unaspirated.