Imperial Affalhaqic
Proto-Affalhaqic represents the protolanguage that descended into Eastern, Imperial, and Western Affalhaqic. Its speakers were the original people whom developed cities and the state in the region. Gradually, as time progressed, the language diverged. Its daughters became the languages of various small city states/peer polities in the region that often fought with each other and peripheral cultures over slaves and agricultural land.
The proto-Affalhaqic described here is largely a phonology, word list, and elementary grammar sketch. Imperial Affalhaqic would gradually come to become the prestige dialect owing to the expansion of the placeholder empire, and all modern Affalhaqic languages are daughters of it.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Alveolar Sibilant | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||||
| Stop | p | t | t͡s | k | q | |
| Fricative | f | s | x | h | ||
| Approximant | l | w |
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid-High | e ẽ | o õ | |
| Low | a ã |
Allophony
In addition, several allophony rules effect Proto-Affalhaqic. These reflect the dialect of proto-Affalhaqic that would evolve into Imperial Affalhaqic, and thus are important for the later sound changes into Imperial Affalhaqic.
- In Proto-Affalhaqic, [n] assimilates into any following stops or nasals.
- Next, [k x] become rounded [kʷ xʷ] before a high rounded vowel or semivowel.
- Nasals [n m] become nasals and assimilate in place of articulation to the previous phone between an obstruent or nasal and an obstruent or nasal.
- Consonants other than uvular semivowels or [w̥ w], i.e. [m p s ...], become front [mʲ pʲ sʲ ...] after a front vowel.
- Stops [p tʲ k ...] become aspirated [pʰ tʲʰ kʰ ...] before a glottal fricative.
Grammar
Proto-Affalhaqic was a VSO language, which is preserved in her daughter Imperial-Affalhaqic. She is a has nominative-accusative alignment, but is genderless. There is no indefinite article, but there is a definite one. In addition, demonstratives are used for non human third person pronouns.
