Proto-Letsic language

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Proto-Letsic
Reconstruction ofLetsic languages
RegionCentral Azerin
Eraca. 3500 – 2000 BCE
Lower-order reconstructions

Proto-Letsic is the reconstructed ancestor of the Letsic languages. It is believed to have been spoken somewhere in central Azerin, to the east of the nascent Halarian civilization during the early Ekuosian Bronze Age. Speakers gradually split and migrated away from the homeland, where their languages diverged into numerous mutually unintelligible daughter languages. Due to their proximity to the literate Halarians, many Letsic languages are attested from an early date, giving useful insight into the reconstruction of their immediate ancestor.

Phonology

Proto-Letsic had a moderate-sized consonant inventory of around 29 distinct consonants. The reconstruction is heavily based on Proto-Azro-Barradiwan, of which the most archaic languages (such as Mestani) preserve the three-way phonation contrast in obstruents relatively intact; as well as Proto-Aukidian which more reliably preserves the place values.

Consonants

Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
Central Lateral
Nasal m n
Plosive voiceless *p *t *k *q
voiced *b *d (*ɢ)
ejective (*pʼ) *tʼ *kʼ *qʼ
Affricate voiceless *ts *tɬ
voiced *dz *dɮ
ejective *tsʼ *tɬʼ
Fricative voiceless *s (*ɬ) *h
voiced
Approximant *w *r *l *j
Regular correspondences of the Proto-Letsic consonants
Proto
Letsic
Letsatian Muriscan Mestani Old
Azri
Old
Ekuostian
Old Classical Imperial Staloan
*p /p/, /f/ /p/ /h/
*t /t/, /θ/ /t/ /tʰ/
*k /k/, /x/ /tʃ/, /k/, /x/ /s/ /ʃ/ /s/
*q /q/, /x/ /k/, /x/ /tʃ/, /k/ /tʃʰ/, /kʰ/
Ø Ø
*b /b/ /b/
*d /d/ /d/
/ɡ/ /dʒ/, /ɡ/ /z/ /ʒ/ /dz/
(*ɢ) Ø /dʒ/, /ɡ/
(*p’) /p/ /pˤ/ /b/ /p/
*t’ /t/ /tˤ/ /d/ /t/
*k’ /k/ /tʃ/, /k/ /sˤ/ /z/ /ʒ/ /ts/
*q’ /k/ /tʃˤ/, /kˤ/ /dʒ/, /ɡ/ /tʃ/, /k/
*s /h/ /h/, Ø /ʃ/ /h/, /ŋ/ /s/ /ʃ/
*ts /ts/ /θ/ /t/ /tʰ/
*tɬ /ɬ/ /ɕ/
*dz /ð/ /d/ /z/
*dɮ /l/ /d/ /d/ /d/
*ts’ /s/ /tˤ/ /t/
*tɬ’ /s/
Ø /χ/ Ø
Ø /χ/, Ø Ø
*h Ø Ø
*m /m/ /m/
*n /n/ /n/
*l /l/ /r/
*r /r/ /r/
*j /j/ /j/, /z/ /j/, /ʒ/ /j/, /dz/
*w /w/ /ʋ/ /w/ /b/ /v/ /v/, Ø