Proto-Drem Phonological History

Proto-Migration Phonology:

~13,400 - ~11,800 BE

(C)V-CVCV

Isolating – S-Aux-OV

	Bilabial	Dental alveolar	Post Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Stops	p, b	t, d		c	k, g
Aspir stops	[p_h], [b_h]	[t_d], [d _h]		[c_h]	[k_h], [g_h]
Nasal	m, mb		n, nd	J, nc	N, [Ng], [Nk]
Approximants				j
Aspir approx				[j_h]

Vowels
	Front	Center	Back
Close	i, [i~], I, [I~]	[1]	U, [U~], u, [u~]
Close-Mid	e, [e~]		o, [o~]
Open		a, [a~]

Proto-Migration sound changes to West Migration:

Late Mid PM (12800-12500)					c > k nc > Nk
Early Late PM (12500–12300)		pI > p_hI bI > b_hI tI > t_hI dI > d_hI kI > k_hI gI > g_hI cI > c_hI jI > j_hI	pU > p_hU bU > b_hU tU > t_hU dU> d_hU kU> k_hU gU > g_hU cU > c_hU jU > j_hU
Late PM (12300-12100)	a > @			t > 4 d > 4
Transition PM (12100-12000)

Proto-Migration is known as the first human language to hit the Drem continent, as some speculate about 13,000 years B.E. The peoples were nomadic clans chasing after herds of Wooly Mammoth, Bison, and Antelope, always having to be wary of Saber Tooth, Cave Bear, and Dire wolves which roamed the frozen Taiga and great pine forests of the new landscape they walked. The people came from the south thru the great archipelago by canoe and kayak as the peoples were great fisherman and sea-faring hunters. So by 12,500 BE, the language had started to change, as all languages all do. In 800 years, the language had already split into 2 great dialects, the first and the dialect with the least changes is the southern dialect, while the northern version has more changes as the tribes there gave rise to a totally different branch of languages. One significant different was in that Proto-Migration has a (C)V-CVCV syllable with a distinct double syllable root.

The (C)V-CVCV structure with the (C)V for the prefixes showed a fairly simple structure, and one to be generally held onto for millennia. A major advancement seen in the development towards Proto-Drem is the shift of word order from the strict SOV to the fairly strict SVO. What caused this has nearly all linguists sharing the same idea of an auxiliary being used for verbs and the S-Aux-OV position slowly changed to a S-V-V-O whereby serial verbs took place, and then the stage was set for the fundamental SVO switch. The serial verbs, like noun classes are one of the most enduring seen for the entire development of language on the continent.

Another odd thing seen in Proto-Migration is still under debate. What scholars have thought is that in PPM (Pre-Proto Migration) a CVC+CVC verb complex which is a verb attached to an auxiliary verb changed to a CVC+VC and CVC+V word structure whereby the auxiliary verb is now nothing more than a suffix onto the original verb. The former possibility of CVCV+C which shows the PM Root as a 2 syllable root with a suffix seems more plausible. Then later as the CVCV was broken, the CVC+VC as a possible suffix are a possibility. The vowel clusters proved that change is constant, as later on Labialization and diphthongs showed up.

PM seems to be a pretty isolating language with maybe a hint of inflection or agglutination, but it is so slight realistically, that the inflecting or agglutinating labels don’t stick. The language can be considered something like Chinese with its solidly recognized isolating core, but can be seen in using inflection and prefixes. The language interestingly enough stayed fairly isolating for millennia, but slowly became more and more inflecting and finally became agglutinating by the time coastal came around. So that by Proto-Drem, that language is defiantly agglutinating with some definite hints of polysynthetic.

Another important thing seen in PM was the rise of a seeming battle between two ideas. The first idea is the noun+case verses the verb+suffix idea. Since PM was considered to be fairly ‘primitive’ in terms of ‘case’, linguists look at verbal suffixes to see if PM favored one or the other or if both were used. Most future languages and dialects in the west happened to develop a fairly complex set of tense, aspect and modals which arose from the old PM system. Eastern languages decided to stay strictly with verbal suffixes, as those languages use heavy marking on verbs and generally ignore nouns to an extent.

Another interesting aspect to look at PM is a strange leaning toward an SVO order. The primary focus is the noun+possessor+VO order which generally have been handed down thru the millennia for nearly all languages and families. The SVO order is still much more prevalent along the coast from the spread of Proto-West, compared to the mountainous interior from Proto-Central or any of the eastern coastal languages. In this way, linguists still debate if PM was a strict SOV or a ‘switch-hitter’ and would go both directions depending on situation. The debate has gone on for decades and there looks to be no end in sight.

One interesting change of note was the slow fusion of the PM ‘to be’ with the adjective, as the adjectives also became a verb by the time Proto-West was spoken. This change allowed for an adjective to act as a verb (to be/is) and so not need an additional prefix of adjunct to make those roots work double duty. The addition of additional rules slowly added on to make these verbal nouns a very productive part of the language, as they were still very much in use thousands of years later in Proto-Drem. The reason for the change seemed to have been the PM prefix NA and MA whereby the /a/ became a schwa /@/ and then by Proto-West, the consonants fused onto the root to form an initial NC cluster on the root. The look of the change would be a CV+CVCV -> NCVCV change as the prefix fused onto the root.

Tones in PM are a fairly straight forward two-tone contrast, with only high-tones noted. Tones didn’t seem to have much of an issue with spread, depressor consonants, automatic down-step, or other issues that by Proto-Drem had become very common to see. The words being up to 2 syllables had 1 of 4 ways to distinguish the tone [LL, LH, HL, HH]. Debate still rages if PM actually had ‘non-tonal’ syllables or if all syllables held tone. The two ideas like the above debate on strict SOV also do not show an end to the debate.

Proto-Migration Consonant Changes:

The consonant changes were not really that awesome as far as strangeness or amount, but the changes were awesome in scope, for in thousands of years, the consonants would show massive changes, as the two main areas of changes were very long range and powerful. The main one was Spirantization which turned stops into fricatives, especially /f, v, s, z/. The other massive change was later in Proto-West, and that was the creation of implosives.

Spirantization has been well documented and researched for several decades now, and has largely been accepted, although fine details are still being worked on, even as this grammar is being written. The main idea is the sheer changing of stops and finally the merge of vowels into a smaller and more compact vowel system than the one seen here in Proto-Migration. This change occurred in both initial and medial positions, so long as the consonant preceded a /I/ or /U/.

The cause of this grand set of changes was due to –į- being used for several things. Namely, the suffix was used as a nominalizer attaching itself to the verb to create a noun. Secondly, it was used as a causative, and lastly, it shows itself as an applicative. These three reasons show this suffix to be a very productive and useful suffix, yet the changes it brought are very important.

Minor changes in consonants generally affected any prefixes of CV that had an /a/. The prefixes, normally being pronomials and other noun affecting affixes, they found themselves attaching to the noun and creating NC clusters over time. The nouns that already contained an NC cluster, found the original nasal wearing away, and the vowel lengthened into a long vowel, which started a length distinction in vowels. So the look of the change would be NV-CVCV -> NCVCV and NV-NCVCV -> NV:CVCV

Other minor changes aren’t really so minor, the changes just get over powered by the magnitude of Spirantization. The first group deals with the intervocalic /t/ and /d/ and how those two became the /r/ and /l/ of today’s languages. The two which became a flap /4/ was the first as it was generally just an allophone until that time. The next phase which occurred in Western Migration was the flap changing to a trill /r/ and that sound would change back and forth between /r/ and /l/ as the two are still considered allophones of each other.

The last ‘minor’ change really is the first sound change occurring on the continent. The changes deal with the /c/ and /nc/ sounds and how they changed to /k/ & /Nk/ and how the changes would generally get the ball rolling for Spirantization. The remaining /c/ and /nc/ sounds are just followed now by /i/ and so have become a fairly rare sound. But the importance of this small change is that the shift to /k/ sent the normal /k/ and other stops to aspirate and start the whole wave going fairly early in Proto-Migration. Note that all dialects of PM have the shift /c/ & /nc/, but only West Migration has the full spirantization seen.

Spirantization

Spirantization and the final merge of the 7V system to become the 5V system is one of the longest and most well known of the long-term sound change chains on the continent. The sounds all change due to two vowels /I/ and /U/ which merge into /i/ and /u/ respectably. The chains below detail the spirantization aspect which the final vowel merger changes are dealt with in modern coastal. The changes detailed below takes place over thousands of years and in a total of 5 stages, so each stage will be red as one can still see how the whole sound change sequence took place over each language that spirantization took place in.

The first stage of the process can be basically called the ‘aspiration stage’ since the stop is aspirated and sent down the line towards becoming a fricative.

/I/

pI > p_hI > p\I > fI ; pI > p_hI > psI > tsI > sI; bI > b_hI > BI > vI; tI > t_hI > tsI > sI; dI > d_hI > dzI > zI; kI > k_hI > ksI > tsI > sI; gI > g_hI > gzI > dzI > zI; cI > c_hI > sI; jI > j_hI > zI

pI > p_hI > p\I > fI

pI > p_hI
pIka > p_hIka
pIte > p_hIte

pI > p_hI > psI > tsI > sI

pIgu >p_hIgu
pIje > p_hIje
pImo > p_hImo

bI > b_hI > BI > vI

bItu > b_hItu
bIdo > b_hIdo
bIne > b_hIne

tI > t_hI > tsI > sI

tImu > t_hImu
tIbu > t_hIbu
tIbe > t_hIbe

dI > d_hI > dzI > zI

dIbu > d_hIbu
dIma > d_hIma
dIte > d_hIte

kI > k_hI > ksI > tsI > sI

kInde > k_hInde
kINa > k_hINa
kIgu > k_hIgu

gI > g_hI > gzI > dzI > zI

gINe > g_hINe
gIgI > g_hIg_hI
gIbo > g_hIbo

cI > c_hI > sI

cIde > c_hIde
cIndu > c_hIndu
cImbo > c_hImbo

jI > j_hI > zI

jInde > j_hInde
jImbo > j_hImbo
jInta > j_hInta

/U/

pU > p_hU > p\U > fU ; pU > p_hU > psU > tsU > sU; bU > b_hU > BU > vU; tU > t_hU > tsU > sU; dU > d_hU > dzU > zU; kU > k_hU > ksU > tsU > sU; gU > g_hU > gzU > dzU > zU; cU > c_hU > sU; jU > j_hU > zU

pU > p_hU > p\U > fU

pU > p_hU
pUka > p_hUka
pUte > p_hUte

pU > p_hU > psU > tsU > sU

pUgu >p_hUgu
pUje > p_hUje
pUmo > p_hUmo

bU > b_hU > BU > vU

bUtu > b_hUtu
bUdo > b_hUdo
bUne > b_hUne

tU > t_hU > tsU > sU

tUmu > t_hUmu
tUbu > t_hUbu
tUbe > t_hUbe

dU > d_hU > dzU > zU

dUbu > d_hUbu
dUma > d_hUma
dUte > d_hUte

kU > k_hU > ksU > tsU > sU

kUnde > k_hUnde
kUNa > k_hUNa
kUgu > k_hUgu

gU > g_hU > gzU > dzU > zU

gUNe > g_hUNe
gUgU > g_hUg_hU
gUbo > g_hUbo

cU > c_hU > sU

cUde > c_hUde
cUndu > c_hUndu
cUmbo > c_hUmbo

jU > j_hU > zU

jUnde > j_hUnde
jUmbo > j_hUmbo
jUnta > j_hUnta

NV-CVCV -> NCVCV and NV-NCVCV -> NV:CVCV

The changes here dealt with the prefixes, especially the prefix ‘to be’. The changes showed some of these later fused onto the noun (adjective) and therefore turned some adjectives into verbal adjectives which could do double duty. In this case, the need for a copula left over time and there would be very minor uses for any ‘to be’ verb. The examples below will show for both single and dual syllable roots to show the slight differences. One noticeable difference is the lengthened vowel /a:/ has become a low tone, where before, the tone was a high-tone.

Normally nasal clusters are very strong initially and very hard to wear down, yet in this case, using the old PM ‘to be’ prefix, the NC clusters were worn off, but note in the three examples below, how new NC clusters formed where before, there weren’t any.

For the examples below, the ‘current phase’ of the chain shift will be noted, as one can see the entire shift as well.

NV-CVCV -> NCVCV ; NV-NNCVCV -> NV:CVCV ; NV-CV -> NCV ; NV-NCV -> NV:CV

NV-CVCV -> NCVCV (V > Ø / N_.CVCV)

nakadó -> n@kadó -> nkadó -> Nkadó [to be/is green]
nagumó -> n@gumó -> ngumó -> Numó [to be/is foggy, connfused]
nabúji -> n@búji -> nbúji -> mbúji [to be/is forgetfull]

NV-NCVCV -> NV:CVCV (V > V:)

naNkamá -> n@Nkamá -> ná:kamá [to be/is lost]
nambumo -> n@mbumo -> ná:bumo [to be/is angry]
nancilé -> n@ncile -> ná:cilé [to be/is sad]

NV-CV -> NCV (V > Ø / N_.CVCV)

naká -> n@ká -> nká -> Nká [to be/is wet, damp]
nagu -> n@gu -> ngu -> Nu [to be/is white, bright,, shiny, polished]
nabú -> n@bú -> nbú -> mbú [to be/is dark, black, night-time]

NV-NCV -> NV:CV (V > V:)

naNka -> n@Nka -> ná:ka [to be/is stubborn]
nambu -> n@mbu -> ná:bu [to be/is quiet, silent]
nanci -> n@nci -> ná:ci [to be/is surprised]>

Miscellaneous consonant changes

The minor consonant changes in Proto-Migration were minor only in comparison to the major chain shifts of Spirantization and the onset of implosives in Proto-West. These minor changes though did make things interesting down the road, and some actually made Proto-Drem distinctly its own. One of the earliest ‘minor’ ones noted is the intervocalic /t, d/ becoming /r/ and with /l/ as an allophone, basically go back and forth between /r/ and /l/ with the tap [4] as an allophone. These sounds are found very commonly amongst most languages thru the entire continent.

One of the interesting sound changes that upon research must have happened before the great Spirantization chain started is a small group dealing with /c/ and /nc/. This small group usually deals with high front vowels, namely /i/ and /I/, and so the consonant shifted to the more usual /k/ when dealing with the other vowel sounds. By shifting to /k/, the only sounds left were /i/, /I/ and /U/, and from spirantization, the shift occurred with /I/ and /U/ which left only the /i/ to be used by the consonant. When we look at the other ‘dialects’ which are East and South Migration, we see that they too had these two tiny sound changes, making us certain that these small sound changes occurred very early.

t > 4 [r] > r [l] > l; d > 4 [r] > r [l] > l

t > 4 > r > l

kate > ka4e > kare > kale
mbatu > mba4u > mbaru > mbalu
lota > lo4a > lora > lola

d > 4 > r > l

kado > ka4o > karo > kalo
gati > ga4i > gari > gali
jatu > ja4u > jaru > jalu

c > k /_a, _e, _o, _u ; nc > Nk /_a, _e, _o, _u

c > k

caNi > kaNi
coNo >koNo
cendi > kendi

nc > Nk

ncambo > Nkambo
ncembi > Nkembi
ncumu > Nkumu

Proto-Migration Vowel Changes:

The Schwa

The only vowel change in Proto Migration was the seemingly minor one dealing with the schwa at the end of the na- prefix whereby the adjectives can be used as verbs once the schwa gets deleted and the prefix fuses with the root.

CV-CVCV -> NCVCV [where the prefix fuses onto thhe root]

a > @ / C_C

nakadó -> n@kadó -> n=kadó -> Nkadó [to be/is green]
nagumó -> n@gumó -> n=gumó -> Numó [to be/is foggy, coonfused]
nabúji -> n@búji -> n=búji -> mbúji [to be/is forgetfuul]

Proto Migration Tone Changes:

TONE CHANGES BY WESTERN MIGRATION

The changes during the late part and transition phases of Proto-Migration where small and almost un-noticed. The tones of Proto-Migration were simple still and had hardly changed. Since the tones were a simple High Tone and unmarked Low tone, the changes were only slightly seeing a marked tone on both ends.

Linguists, by seeing that only low tones are marked still debate if the low-tones have a special significance, say by being lowered by depressor consonants, or if the Lo-tone is really the only tone and there is no Hi-tone at all. The discussion is still raging, and with research being very slowly done, many questions remain unanswered.

Due to the presence of depressor consonants, such as /p, t, k/, and consonants which generally raise vowel pitch /b, d, g/, the debate does have some backing, yet, with the slow emergence of more depressor consonants over time, those that adhere to the Lo-tone side do have slightly more credence to their argument.

As far as actual tonal changes in straight tonal structure, no evidence as of yet has provided any clues, yet, small tidbits of interest lies in grammatical tone, especially with case. Note that KO has been studied and is a strange precursor to the interrogatives, which shows that this style of tone was used on the continent for a very long time.

Na dengá kó namò

CLS bat go stand-I

The bat is coming stand-I.

The bat is coming to where I stand.

Na dengá ko namò

CLS bat go-? stand-I

The bat is coming-ques stand-I.

Is the bat coming to where I stand?

Tone names	Tone levels	Tone symbol
High	_H	(unmarked)
Low	_L	à

Western Migration Phonology

~11,800 – 10,600 BE

(C)V-CVCV

Isolating/minor Inflect & Agglut – S-V-O-V

	Bilabial	Dental	Post Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Stops	p, b	t, d		c	k, g
Aspirated Stops	p_h, b_h	t_h, d_h		c_h	k_h, g_h
Nasal	m, mb		n, nd	J, nc	N, [Ng], [Nk]
Asp Nasals	mb_h		nd_h	J_h	N_h
Taps, Trills			4, [r]
Approximants				j
Aspirated appr				j_h

Vowels
	Front	Center	Back
Close	i, [i~], I, [I~]	[1]	U, [U~], u, [u~]
Close-Mid	e, [e~]		o, [o~]
Mid		@, [@~]
Open		a, [a~]

West Migration sound changes to Proto West:

Late Mid WM (11300-11200)
Early Late WM (11200–10900)		p_hI > psI b_hI > BI t_hI > tsI d_hI > dzI k_hI > ksI g_hI > gzI	p_hU > p\I b_hU > BU t_hU > tsU d_hU > dzU k_hU > kfU g_hU > gvU
Late WM (10900-10700)	Ø > n= NVC > N=C NVNC > NV:C			@ > [@] Ø > a:	4 > r (V_V)
ransition WM (10700-10600)

Western Migration was still a relatively stable language with few sound changes. Lots of ample space in the forests, mountains and coastal areas didn’t stop these people as the population was stable still due to a short lifespan of maybe 32 years. This sound change deals with the coastal areas from the spider fens down to nearly the Alorian homelands. So they pretty much were still nomadic hunter-gatherers with little contact, and so little means of language change, and so languages stayed fairly stable for extended periods of time.

The only major vowel change happening in Late West-Migration was the showing up of a length distinction due to various prefixes on the root, such as the na- prefix which became náá when it still existed. This change is fairly important in that in some languages branching off from Western Migration, especially the branch around red-rock valley kept the distinction, while most languages dropped the distinction and stayed with the simple short vowel. The length distinction presents its own challenges, particularly in how tones are affected, and how they change. The length distinction is fairly short lived in most branches of Western Migration, as the length shortened to a normal /a/ during the early stages of Proto-West.

Western Migration like its parent, Proto-Migration is a tonal language, with keeping the simple 4 way tonal system (LL, LH, HL, HH) that was seen before. Tones mostly change quite frequently, and so the little change here, probably due to no vowel changes lead to very little in way of changing the tones. In the changes seen in Proto-West, we see small changes in tones, with the small unstable shifting of /a:/ > /a/ & /a/ > /1/ as this small push chain caused some vowels to raise instead of fall as expected. Also the large amount of roots now with /1/ caused a shift in vowel harmony as words could now change to a /i/ or /u/ depending on the consonants involved.

With Proto-Migration being originally a S-Aux-OV language, changes did occur for PM to see an SVOV system develop that changed even further. Here in Western Migration, the 2^nd verb moved over to form a very interesting SVVO system. With this, we have the initial signs of serial verbs form on the continent. The serial verbs caused a large shift in

Noun classes, though actually started in Proto-Migration, that system seemed bulky with a classifier and determiner on both sides of the root. In Western Migration, we see the classifier on both sides, and so going down to 1 modifier, this would eventually change in Proto-West with a true noun class system, whereby PW has just one classifier on the right side on the root. Thus the old CLS+ROOT+DET system seen in PM was replaced here by the CLS+ROOT+CLS system, and will be seen in Proto-West as the ROOT+CLS system that is most commonly seen with noun class systems.

Once again Spirantization is the name of the game with sound changes. This part of it dealt with the creation of affricates, which are generally the mid-point towards the fricatives. The stops and pre-nasalized stops of PM now has become affricates by the time of Proto-West, and by the time of Proto-Drem would become the fricatives we all hear in modern languages of the area. The vowels though changing very slowly wouldn’t really change at all, even up to the time of Proto-Drem. Why even a chain shift as Spirantization wouldn’t cause the vowels to move much is still under conjecture and debated to this day. One this is certain that overall, initial consonants and vowels changed slowly, nasal clusters hardly changed at all; it was the medial consonants that changed

The continuing changes of the loss of the prefix ‘na-’ whereby all adjectives can very soon act as verbs as well, and as a few linguists state, that by Proto-West, there really weren’t any more verbs, just nouns and noun modifiers. This change to the way ‘adjectives’ are used, is in fact still used today in several languages. With Western Migration, one would expect a fairly widespread of languages that use this ability, which is true; but, the number of languages that use it are still few in number, and research still has to determine just why. To show the changes that this made, I will show below that by Old Coastal, one could use an adjective instead of a verb and still make the sentence clear.

Western Migration

t_hI n@kame mo

1P to be-green jealousy

I am green with envy

Proto-West

tsI n-kame mo

1P (to be)green jealousy

I am green with envy

Old Coastal

tsI Nkame momo

1P green jealousy-with

I’m green with jealousy

West Migration Consonant Changes:

West Migration being a continuation of PM, has a relatively simple set of consonant changes. The grand scheme of Spirantization continues to march forward. This stage presents the 1^st part of the affricates whereby the aspirated stops then moved down the chain to become affricates. The affricates presented some challenges, especially the differing opinions on /ps/ compared to /p\/ and why they changed. Current research as seen in this paper led most to consider the tones played a part in which way the /p/ took down its path.

For Western Migration, the changes of the loss of the schwa and the loss of the syllabic n realistically didn’t affect things much. The syllabic n became a homorganic nasal cluster to many roots and added the ability of being a verb to the adjectives (as seen above). The actual consonant change saw the schwa either becoming a long a /a:/ or falling away as the prefix fused. So by Proto-West, the creation of the long a /a:/ caused an instability to occur and being unstable, it shortened and thereby pushed the normal /a/ and raising it to /1/.

The vowel changes and the new vowel system to be seen in Proto-West are small yet an important one. In Proto-West, we see a distinct 8V system, which normally is unstable in Dremish linguistics and would change; either up to a 9V system or more likely fall back to a 7V system, and the ‘extra’ vowel simply becomes an allophone. After Proto-Drem came along, the Dremish vowel systems nearly all changed down to a 5V system, with a few keeping the 7V system, usually located in isolated pockets hidden in the mountains close to the eastern languages and their influences.

The birth of a new consonant was greeted by nothing special, yet it is an important if minor change. The flap /4/ is an intervocalic sound when a /t/ or /d/ gets softened and the sound looses the sharp clarity that it had before. Most people attribute it to sheer laziness as the /t/ and /d/ slowly change to the trill /r/ and then the lateral /l/ and then back and forth depending on the dialect. Some linguists say that the two sounds becoming a flap didn’t really merge, but were still affected by the preceding vowel tones, yet more research is required to get a definitive answer on if the sounds truly merged or remained a separate entity.

Spirantization

This second stage of spirantization would be called the ‘Affricate stage I’ since for a few changes, there is an additional stage of affrication they go thru, but for most of the changes, this is where spirantization seems to hold for a while, and has fooled some into thinking that the process stops, but surprises were definitely in the future for some.

As seen below, the /p/ shows the affricate path depending on the tone on the /I/, whereby the low tone lef the /p/ to go down the labial side, whereas the high-tone, led down the dental path. Why this is the case, is still yet Dremish historical linguistics shows tone to have an effect.

/I/

pI > p_hI > p\I > fI / _I_L

p_hI > p\I
p_hIka > p\Ika
p_hIte > p\Ite

p_hI > p_hI > psI > tsI > sI / _I_H

p_hIgu >psIgu
p_hIje > psIje
p_hImo > psImo

b_hI > b_hI > BI > vI

b_hItu > BItu
b_hIdo > BIdo
b_hIne > BIne

t_hI > t_hI > tsI > sI

t_hImu > tsImu
t_hIbu > tsIbu
t_hIbe > tsIbe

d_hI > d_hI > dzI > zI

d_hIbu > dzIbu
d_hIma > dzIma
d_hIte > dzIte

k_hI > k_hI > ksI > tsI > sI

k_hInde > ksInde
k_hINa > ksINa
k_hIgu > ksIgu

g_hI > g_hI > gzI > dzI > zI

g_hINe > gzINe
g_hIg_hI > gzIg_hI
g_hIbo > gzIbo

cI > c_hI > sI

cIde > c_hIde
cIndu > c_hIndu
cImbo > c_hImbo

jI > j_hI > zI

jInde > j_hInde
jImbo > j_hImbo
jInta > j_hInta

/U/

pU > p_hU > p\U > fU / _U_L

p_hU > p\U
p_hUka > p\Uka
p_hUte > p\Ute

p_hU > p_hU > psU > tsU > sU / _U_H

p_hUgu >psUgu
p_hUje > psUje
p_hUmo > psUmo

b_hU > b_hU > BU > vU

b_hUtu > BUtu
b_hUdo > BUdo
b_hUne > BUne

t_hU > t_hU > tsU > sU

t_hUmu > tsUmu
t_hUbu > tsUbu
t_hIbe > tsIbe

d_hU > d_hU > dzU > zU

d_hUbu > dzUbu
d_hUma > dzUma
d_hUte > dzUte

k_hU > k_hU > ksU > tsU > sU

k_hUnde > ksUnde
k_hUNa > ksUNa
k_hUgu > ksUgu

g_hU > g_hU > gzU > dzU > zU

g_hUNe > gzUNe
g_hUg_hU > gzUg_hU
g_hUbo > gzUbo

cU > c_hU > sU

cUde > c_hUde
cUndu > c_hUndu
cUmbo > c_hUmbo

jU > j_hU > zU

jUnde > j_hUnde
jUmbo > j_hUmbo
jUnta > j_hUnta

NV-CVCV -> NCVCV and NV-NCVCV -> NV:CVCV

The changes for the end of Western Migration and into Proto-West showed the seeming end of the prefix na- but as we see, only where the root didn’t start with an NC. The prefix na- did in essence continue to live on with a lengthened vowel, but the prefix in usage did disappear in Proto-West. One can notice that in Western Migration, the na- prefix has shrunk to a syllabic n /n=/.

For the examples below, the ‘current phase’ of the chain shift will be noted, as one can see the entire shift as well.

NV-CVCV -> NCVCV ; NV-NNCVCV -> NV:CVCV ; NV-CV -> NCV ; NV-NCV -> NV:CV

NV-CVCV -> NCVCV ; V > Ø / N_.CVCV

nakadó -> n@kadó -> n=kadó -> Nkadó [to be/is green]
nagumó -> n@gumó -> n=gumó -> Numó [to be/is foggy, confused]
nabúji -> n@búji -> n=búji -> mbúji [to be/is forgetful]>

NV-NCVCV -> NV:CVCV ; V > V:

naNkamá -> n@Nkamá -> ná:kamá [to be/is lost]
nambumo -> n@mbumo -> ná:bumo [to be/is angry]
nancilé -> n@ncile -> ná:cilé [to be/is sad]

NV-CV -> NCV ; V > Ø / N_.CV

naká -> n@ká -> n=ká -> Nká [to be/is wet, damp]
nagu -> n@gu -> n=gu -> Nu [to be/is white, bright, shiny, poolished]
nabú -> n@bú -> n=bú -> mbú [to be/is dark, black, night-timee]

NV-NCV -> NV:CV ; V > V:

naNka -> n@Nka -> ná:ka [to be/is stubborn]
nambu -> n@mbu -> ná:bu [to be/is quiet, silent]
nanci -> n@nci -> ná:ci [to be/is surprised]

Miscellaneous consonant changes

The minor consonant changes in Western Migration were minor only in comparison to the major chain shifts of Spirantization and the onset of implosives in Proto-West. These minor changes though did make things interesting down the road, and some actually made Proto-Drem distinctly its own.

t > 4 > r [l] > l; d > 4 > r[l] > l

t > 4 > r > l

kate > ka4e > kare > kale
mbatu > mba4u > mbaru > mbalu
lota > lo4a > lora > lola

d > 4 > r > l

kado > ka4o > karo > kalo
gati > ga4i > gari > gali
jatu > ja4u > jaru > jalu

West Migration Vowel Changes:

The prefix na- and the /a:/

The Schwa in Western Migration was generally a long lived sound, but did wear away and went one of two ways. The first was disappearing and the prefixes’ initial n became a syllabic n /n=/ as it stuck to the root to eventually become an initial nasal cluster. The second way was the schwa lowered and became a long a /a:/ which due to the instability in the vowel system quickly changed and shortened to a regular a /a/, which caused a small vowel merger to take place. But, the small merger did affect the tones, as the original na- was toneless, and thru this, the náá- would up becoming a lo-toned prefix that can actually stop tone spread. The náá- prefix being fused onto adjectives was then relagated to almost a locative meaning generally “is here” as it attached and sometimes fused with locatives such as -dò- “there” making the curious locative náádò meaning “is around someplace.” The prefix becoming also being used as a locative is known for thousands of years and is found as the famous ru- particle in Proto-Drem, and is found in other languages of the area.

West Migration Tone Changes:

TONE CHANGES BY PROTO-WEST

Here in Western Migration, Tones stayed the same as far as overall 2 syllable root structure (LL, LH, HL, HH), especially with the schwa still in existence in WM. In Proto-West, where the syllabic n showed, up, is where floating tones and the start of a downshift started. In Western Migration, it was still considered the ‘quiet before the storm’ and for tones, it was a fairly “boring period” with very few changes. The only significant change one can consider is that both High and Low tones were noted for tone, most likely as a larger vocabulary and words sounding the same, that tones became an ever increasing factor which word was meant.

The one thing that is debated as far as tone changes for this period is “what happened to the na- prefixes tone”? Most Linguists prefer to describe Na- as a toneless prefix, that acquired a Low-tone later, while a few linguists state that when /na/ -> /n@/, that the schwa did get a Low-tone /_L/ and so would be seen as /na_L/. If so, then the question still needs to be answered. The research states that there are 2 possibilities, first that the nasal shifted the tone to the right, which doesn’t really seem to bear fruit, or that the tone is a floating tone, and that the floating tone is docked onto the nasal, which seems more likely.

Tone names	Tone levels	Tone symbol
High	_H	à
Low	_L	á

Proto West Phonology

~10,600 – 8,800 BE

(N)CV(V)(C)(V)

Isolating/ Slight Inflect & Agglut – S-V-O-V₂

	Bilabial	Dental	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Stops	p, b	t, d		c	k, g
Aspir stops	[p_h], [b_h]	[t_h], [d_h]		c_h	[k_h], [g_h]
nasals	m, m=, mb	nd	n, n=	J, nc	N, [Ng], [Nk]
Tap, trill			[4], r
Affricates		ps, ts, dz	ks, gz
fricatives	p\, B
Lateral Approx			[l]
approximates				j
Aspir approx				j_h

Vowels
	Front	Center	Back
Close	i, [i~], I	[1]	U, u, [u~]
Close-Mid	e, [e~]		o, [o~]
Mid		[@]
Open		a, [a~], a:

Diphthongs
	Front	Center	Back
Close		ui
Close-Mid		ue	uo
Mid			ua
Open

Proto-West sound changes to Old Coastal:

Late Mid PW (9700-9500)
Early Late PW (9500–9200)	psI > tsI ksI > tsI gzI > dzI	psU > tsU kfU > p\U gzU > dzU			ue > _we ui > _wi ua > _wa uo > _wo
Late PW (9200-8900)			n=k > nk n=g > N n=t > nt n=d > nd	n=b > nb n=p > np n=j > J m=b > mb	r > l / V_V a > @ / C_C	p > b / V_V t > d / V_V k > g / V_V	kuV > k_w nkuV > Nk_w guV > g_w nguV > Ng_w
Transition PW (8900-8800)			nk > Nk N > Ng	nb > mb np > mb		p > p_h / #_V_L t > t_h / #_V_L k > k_h / #_V_L

Proto-West was a decently sized language family that held sway over a changing landscape. The Ice age was ending. The large ice sheets were retreating, the glaciers were retreating, and the climate was starting to warm up a bit. The ground which was ice was turned into tundra and large flat cold plains. The hills were wind swept and caves dotted the landscape where small ice pockets were before. Swamps, bogs and lakes dotted the landscape as the forests started to slowly move in, at this point, just pine forests and shrubs that tolerate the cold. The nomadic hunters still surviving in small clans wandered their ‘territories’ after game that had to a point begun to change.

On the Dremish continent, the nomadic peoples stuck to their placid ways, oblivious to the mass extinctions and massive population changes that struck the northern continents. Current research that is causing a buzz in current circles is that a comet or asteroid struck and due to climate changes, was a major tipping point. Another factor related to the end of this era is that ocean currents changed how fresh water and salt water are mixed is also a factor to look at. The current ‘mainline’ theory that over-killing of the ice age mammals led to their extinction just doesn’t hold water at all on the Dremish continent, as animals such as Mammoth, Auroch, and the large cats still lived thousands of years later.

The tones of Proto-West were still fairly simple, the standard set (HL, LH, LL, HH) still held sway after all those years, yet changes were brewing. By the time of Old Coastal, the syllables that have gained the CV: set also retained the tones of those vowels, to get keep generally the standard set, yet with tones like LH becoming a rising allotone, and the HL became the falling allotone, it was noted that times were changing. As seen in dialects and surrounding languages that were affected by Old Coastal, some retained the split tones, while others emerged with new rising & falling tones, while others simplified their tones and just had one tone to cover both vowels. Why the changes occurred that seemed so spread is still under conjecture.

Downstep is an ability of tonal languages to shift down a high-tone and turn it into a mid-tone. This is usually done by depressor consonants, as a mid-tone is usually seen as an allotone. But here with downstep, the tone actually becomes a real distinct tone used even in grammatical areas, such as voice, and case being the easiest to detect. Since downstep is varied, as early versions are not automatic, while later, one does see automatic downstep.

Noun classes are still here, and will be seen far beyond even Proto-Drem. This group of ‘gender’ affixes is one of the longest lasting affix in the entire continent, as very few languages have lost them, as most, still use them to this day. The major thing is that by Proto-West, the area seen for noun classes is by PW, the affix is where it is seen today, as a suffix on the noun. Noun+CLS. Note that a few languages have tweaked the placement, but most keep to this standard to this day. Noun classes as today is a standard affix, yet depending on how the consonants stack up, the consonants can mutate and an inflection occurs. This is what most linguists consider what happened during those early days on the continent when most languages were fairly isolating.

Serial verbs are still strong, yet don’t yet have the standard SVVO style we note and easily recognize today. Then in Proto-West, the Serial verbs were SV(O)V, as the main verb is now the first one seen, where in Proto-Migration, the main verb was the last, as the aux verb was the first. So positions have reversed, and the fundamentals of serial verbs in PW are born. Serial verbs in Proto-West seemed to have used a very few number of affixes or inflections, as some linguists seem to consider Proto-West to have still retained essentially an isolating flavor where serial verbs would flourish.

Old Coastal has a 9V system, but what is so interesting to note is how the system shrinks to a 5V system in a relatively short time. Proto-West has essentially a 9V system but the schwa is still considered an allophone, but by Old Coastal, a full 9V system is alive and well. The times are wondrous for vowel harmony and varied and interesting changes. The standard 7V system is still alive and well, yet due to spirantization, that system will collapse and vowels will merge, but linguists ask about Proto-West and the large vowel system, especially with the essentially 9V system that showed up. Most of the low-toned medial /a/ were changed to schwas and were eventually deleted, while in Old Coastal the higher toned medial /a/ were changed the same way leaving very few medial /a/ existing and leaving a distinct imbalance while resulted in a vowel shift that by Proto-Drem, had changed the way some words sounded, as the vowel harmony changed along with it.

Vowel Harmony was very strong during these times. A 3 way distinction occurred between front-central-back whereby vowels could go back and forth along high, and central vowels, and one might even ask why such a system would essentially collapse. The collapse was due to the merger of vowels and the inherent instability of the system, yet during its day, it must have been very sweet to the ear. A few linguists consider Proto-West to have a strong height based system and with a front > back system, to have a fairly complex vowel harmony. Most linguists have discounted the height theory and just stuck with the front > back ideas, due to their being only 1 Low vowel /a/, which usually rose to /1/ instead of /e/ or /o/.

One small yet interesting group of changes that would have a far-reaching effect with some languages dealt with the sounds /p, t and k/. The changes were the seeming spirantization of /p, t, and k/ before low-toned vowels. These sounds like spirantization did change to affricates and eventually fricatives, these sounds took a differing path, and so are not shown on the spirantization sections. Since these consonants are depressor consonants, the tones were basically low toned anyways, except for some rare high-toned versions that still existed. This led to in some branches and languages those 3 sounds becoming basically allophones of /b, d and g/ which of course happened in Proto-Drem as all voiced stops became voiceless ones. In Proto-West, Old and Modern Coastal, the few remaining words with /p, t and k/ held on, until Proto-Drem and those stops made a final exit.

The changes of the language were fairly well known, but as ever, the specifics are still debated.

Proto-West Consonant Changes:

The sound changes in Proto-West were in some ways significant and other ways, minor. One of the main ones were of course the continuation of Spirantization and the increasing change towards Implosives, but the last one was that by modern coastal, were the dropping of some consonants and the lengthening of the vowels. In PW, the only consonant really changed was /f/. The change really ignored the initial consonant, as the change really only affected the last VCV of the CVCV root. So in effect, the root changed from a CVCV to a CV: root. The tones if different did merge into rising or falling tones, and so by modern coastal we see the beginning of contour tones.

Implosives, the word alone seems exotic and strange, as the continent is in fact the only continent to even have such sounds, as there are other languages claiming to have implosives, only the languages on the Dremish continent can actually claim to have them presently spoken. The start of the implosives seemed like a small step, but with the geminates, the plosives were quick to follow, and then to easily become pre-nasalized for those preceding nasals. The implosives are technically a glottal stop preceding a stop /?C/ while an ejective is the mirror image /C?/. The implosives when they did show up in Proto-Drem raised tones of all the following vowels, as tones overall became higher to the extent of implosives at that time.

The continuation of the loss of the prefix na- shows up at its last stage. The stage here in Proto-West is really just the loss of one phone, the syllabic n /n=/. The nasal clusters though not new, did make a power rise as far as being common sounds at root initial, and by Proto-Drem, an initial nasal cluster is commonly seen. The main theme of this change as seen before is the advent of verbal adjectives, so that an adjective can be used as a verb as well, and so one can say a sentence can be ‘verb-less’. The homorganic nasal clusters seen as the prefix fused onto the root, did change at the very end of Proto-West and we see that several dialects did in fact not continue the sound changes as seen towards Old Coastal. The continuation of the changes presented itself not as a merge, but as a push chain, causing the new sound to take the place of the former, as the former sound moved on and took over where an allophone was present. The ‘new’ phones seen are the /Nk/ and /Ng/. Also with the nasal clusters was a small bit of voicing where the /np/ normally would have changed to a /mp/, but became voiced and merged with /mb/.

Another very strange yet small segment of unusual consonant changes in Proto-West is the eventual forming of labial-velars, both the /kp/ and /gb/, and also the nasal assimilated versions /Nkp/ and /Ngb/ so that by Modern Coastal, there were 4 labial-velars.

Spirantization

This is the third stage of spirantization like I mentioned before deals with as we would call the ‘affricate stage II’ whereby those changes needing additional affrication are done here. AT this point, the stage is set for the final and full changes seen for spirantization, and finally the vowel merger seen after this grand set of changes.

/I/

pI > p_hI > p\I > fI

p_hI > p\I
p_hIka > p\Ika
p_hIte > p\Ite

pI > p_hI > psI > tsI > sI

psI >tsI
psIge > tsIge
psImo > tsImo

bI > b_hI > BI > vI

b_hItu > BItu
b_hIdo > BIdo
b_hIne > BIne

tI > t_hI > tsI > sI

t_hImu > tsImu
t_hIbu > tsIbu
t_hIbe > tsIbe

dI > d_hI > dzI > zI

d_hIbu > dzIbu
d_hIma > dzIma
d_hIte > dzIte

kI > k_hI > ksI > tsI > sI

ksInde > tsInde
ksINa > tsINga
ksIgu > tsIgu

gI > g_hI > gzI > dzI > zI

gzINe > dzINge
gzIgzI > dzIdzI
gzIbo > dzIbo

cI > c_hI > sI

cIde > c_hIde
cIndu > c_hIndu
cImbo > c_hImbo

jI > j_hI > zI

jInde > j_hInde
jImbo > j_hImbo
jInta > j_hInta

/U/

pU > p_hU > p\U > fU

p_hU > p\U
p_hUka > p\Uka
p_hUte > p\Ute

pU > p_hU > psU > tsU > sU

psU >tsU
psUge > tsUge
psUmo > tsUmo

bU > b_hU > BU > vU

b_hUtu > BUtu
b_hUdo > BUdo
b_hUne > BUne

tU > t_hU > tsU > sU

t_hUmu > tsUmu
t_hUbu > tsUbu
t_hUbe > tsUbe

dU > d_hU > dzU > zU

d_hUbu > dzUbu
d_hUma > dzUma
d_hUte > dzUte

kU > k_hU > ksU > tsU > sU

ksUnde > tsUnde
ksUNa > tsUNga
ksUgu > tsUgu

gU > g_hU > gzU > dzU > zU

gzUNe > dzUNge
gzUgzU > dzUdzU
gzUbo > dzUbo

cU > c_hU > sU

cUde > c_hUde
cUndu > c_hUndu
cUmbo > c_hUmbo

jU > j_hU > zU

jUnde > j_hUnde
jUmbo > j_hUmbo
jUnta > j_hUnta

IMPLOSIVES: a long road ahead.

Implosives are actually a rare thing, but still heard to be an important thing in Modern Coastal, and Proto-Drem. In Proto-Drem, there are regular implosives and “nasal” implosives to make some odd medial and word initial sounds. The changes occurred fairly late in Proto-Migration, yet continued for the next 8000 years until the start of Proto-Drem where the language has a flavor unlike a lot of surrounding languages. One thing to see is that this grand change towards implosives is aiming immediately for 8 implosives, 4 regular, and 4 “nasalized”. The 4 regular can in Proto-Drem be seen initial and medial, while the “nasalized” are only word initial. Why this is the case is still a matter for debate. The main issue linguists say is there can be no ‘nasalization’ /_n/ when the implosive is a glottalic /?b/ so a /?b_n/ or a /?_nb/ they say cannot exist and is not attested in any language known. Most linguists to this day still consider the nasal to be syllabic /m=/ or /n=/ so a ‘nasalized implosive is actually /m=?b/. But this debate continues to rage on and will be decided with future research. This linguist will take the attested ‘safe’ route and go with a syllabic nasal attached to the implosive.

One thing that one looks for is with the deletion of the schwa in Old Coastal, that the geminates have a vowel to break up any consonant clusters that might make a C:C cluster instead of the C:VC which is wanted in this situation. So debate still goes on if the dying schwa is really raised to /1/ to account for vowel harmony, or if a /1/ is inserted as an epenthetic vowel to replace the schwa. One thing is certain that this took place in every dialect of Proto-West, so the change did occur fairly soon before any dialects broke off.

Root Initial

/bab/->/b@b/->/bb/->/b_</

/bab/->/b@b/ -> /bb/ -> /b_</

baba -> b@b@ -> bb -> b_<
babe -> b@be -> bbe -> b_<e
babu -> b@bu -> bbu -> b_<u

/dad/->/d@d/ -> /dd/ -> /d_</

dada -> d@d@ -> dd -> d_<
dade -> d@de -> dde -> d_<e
dadu -> d@du -> ddu -> d_<u

/jaja/->/j@j@/ -> /jj/ -> /j_</

jaja -> j@j@ -> jj -> j_<
jaju -> j@ju -> jju -> j_ j@je -> jje -> j_<e

/gag/->/g@g/ -> /gg/ -> /g_</

gaga -> g@g@ -> gg -> g_<
gage -> g@ge -> gge -> g_<e
gagu -> g@gu -> ggu -> g_<u

Prefix Initial

The Prefix initial is a bit strange in that the prefix and the root collapse as the geminate forms and the separation then collapses as the two combine. This happened to a few prefixes, specifically with the ba- prefix which was the augmentive and da- which was the diminutive. The collapse of the prefix caused the meaning of the root to change to add the meaning of the prefix. In this way unlike the above, the prefix continued to exist as a C_<V, and the root then was changed into a CV if it was a CVCV before. So during this late stage of Old Coastal, as it turned into Modern Coastal, that of these prefixes, there were actually 2 sets, 1 that started normally, and the other with an implosive.

Example: tree > shrub, sapling

/bab/->/b@b/->/bb/->/b_</

/bab/->/b@b/ -> /bb/ -> /b_</

baba -> b@b@ -> bb -> b_<
babe -> b@be -> bbe -> b_<e
babu -> b@bu -> bbu -> b_<u

/dad/->/d@d/ -> /dd/ -> /d_</

dada -> d@d@ -> dd -> d_<
dade -> d@de -> dde -> d_<e
dadu -> d@du -> ddu -> d_<u

/jaja/->/j@j@/ -> /jj/ -> /j_</

jaja -> j@j@ -> jj -> j_<
jaju -> j@ju -> jju -> j_ j@je -> jje -> j_<e

/gag/->/g@g/ -> /gg/ -> /g_</

gaga -> g@g@ -> gg -> g_<
gage -> g@ge -> gge -> g_<e
gagu -> g@gu -> ggu -> g_<u

Labial-Velars starting

Vowel clusters are next to unheard of in most Dremish languages, especially where the vowel cluster contains differing vowels, which always seems to simplify and shift vowels about. In Proto-West, most likely thru contact, borrowings must of occurred for a vowel sequence to have occurred. What is strange though is that the vowel sequences were only with an initial /u/ and the consonants were only with the velars /k, g/. Why, scholars still debate this as some try to bring about different ways for the labial-velars to form, but historically as seen on other continents, what is known is that a small group of unusual /kuV/ and /guV/ borrowings did show.

These rare sounds continued and basically had formed by Modern Coastal. The main force for stops in what would become Proto-Drem was the voicing of stops. These clusters being devoiced stops then became voiced and merged. Thus, some of these roots would have some very strange meanings and definitions, especially if the words were exact mirrors of the other. Since the words were fairly rare to begin with, the only real differences then became tone, as the meanings continued to evolve as all words do with language. Labial-Velars are known to have [kp)], [kp)_w], [kp)_j], and [tp)] as allophones, which make them very rare and under studied sounds on the Dremish continent. These also have (due to nasal assimilation) /Nkp)/ and /mkp)/ as known nasalized variants as well.

kuV > k_wV > kpV, guV > g_wV > gbV, nkuV > Nk_wV > NkpV, nguV > Ng_wV > NgbV

Standard labial-velars

kuepege > k_wepege > kpege > gbege

kuipige > k_wipige > kpige > gbige

kuopogu > k_wopogu > kpogu > gbogu [(that, those, these) deer tallow]

guebene > g_webene > gbene

guibine > g_wibine > gbine

guobonu > g_wobonu > gbonu

Nasal Assimilation labial-velars

nkuepege > Nk_wepege > Nkpege > gbege

nkuepege > Nk_wepege > Nkpege > Ngbege

nkuipige > Nk_wipige > Nkpige > Ngbige

nkuopogu > Nk_wopogu > Nkpogu > Ngbogu [(that, those, these) deer tallow]

nguebene > Ng_webene > Ngbene

nguibine > Ng_wibine > Ngbine

nguobonu > Ng_wobonu > Ngbonu

NV-CVCV -> NCVCV and NV-NCVCV -> NV:CVCV

The changes here dealt with the destruction of the syllabic n /n=/ and the fusion of the prefix with the root consonant, creating the homorganic nasal clusters. With the changes here, NC clusters became one of the more common sounds and also due to their strength; they are the longest lasting sounds as well.

For the examples below, the ‘current phase’ of the chain shift will be noted, as one can see the entire shift as well.

NV-CVCV -> NCVCV ; NV-NNCVCV -> NV:CVCV ; NV-CV -> NCV ; NV-NCV -> NV:CV

NV-CVCV -> NCVCV

nakadó -> n@kadó -> n=kadó -> Nkadó [to be/is green]
nagumó -> n@gumó -> n=gumó -> Numó [to be/is foggy, confused]
nabúji -> n@búji -> n=búji -> mbúji [to be/is forgetful]

NV-NCVCV -> NV:CVCV

naNkamá -> n@Nkamá -> ná:kamá [to be/is lost]]
nambumo -> n@mbumo -> ná:bumo [to be/is angry]
nancilé -> n@ncile -> ná:cilé [to be/is sad]

NV-CV -> NCV

naká -> n@ká -> n=ká -> Nká [to be/is wet, damp]
nagu -> n@gu -> n=gu -> Nu [to be/is white, bright, shiny, polished]
nabú -> n@bú -> n=bú -> mbú [to be/is dark, black, night-time]

NV-NCV -> NV:CV

naNka -> n@Nka -> ná:ka [to be/is stubborn]]
nambu -> n@mbu -> ná:bu [to be/is quiet, silent]
nanci -> n@nci -> ná:ci [to be/is surprised]

MISCELLANEOUS CONSONANT CHANGES

These changes are just the final step of this chain of changes starting thousands of years before. The change of /r/ > /l/ simply set into motion a back and forth swing as the two sounds are generally considered allophones of each other, as /4/ is generally considered an allophone of /t/ and /d/. So the series of intervocalic sounds are usually seen in a large region.

t > 4 > r [l] > l; d > 4 > r[l] > l

t > 4 > r > l

kate > k_ha4e > ksare > sale
mbatu > mba4u > mbaru > mbalu
gota > go4a > gora > gol@

d > 4 > r > l

kado > k_ha4o > ksaro > salo
gati > ga4i > gari > gali
jatu > ja4u > jaru > jalu

Lenition & Spirantization Wave II

The changes below detail the short, yet important changes that took place during this time. There were two main processes going on. The first process of these changes somewhat follow the grand scheme of spirantization that hit the languages at the time as well. The voicing of /p/, /t/ and /k/ hit words initially, but specifically those which were followed by low vowels. These changes closely followed the main grand spirantization chain, yet instead of just dealing with /I/ and /U/, these dealt with low-toned vowels that followed. It might not seem like much of a change, but looking at it over-all, Spirantization affected the sounds of the language a good deal. Since this group of sound changes were slightly behind the ‘intervocalic’ ones below, the Spider Fen branch was known to keep the voiced vs. devoiced distinction, although the distinction lies heavily towards /b, d, g/ like others of the Proto-West family. Note below with the changes for /k/, the front-back vowel harmony distinction, which Proto-Migration also seemingly kept, as back vowels led to /f/ and front vowels led to /s/.

The second process was the changes heard medially. These changes were a bit different, and instead of lenition, the main idea was devoicing of the stops, and sends them on their way to /w/ and /h/ which we see in Proto-Drem. The stops changed, and become /b, d, g/ which then became fricatives, except for the t > r rhotic shift. Note that since these three consonants were depressor consonants, the following vowels were all depressed, except for very few. So, these changes affected a lot of the roots and stems in Proto-West, and relegated /p, t, k/ nearly to an allophone status of /b, d, g/ even at that early period.

p > p_h > p\ > f ; p > b > B > w ; t > ts > s > h ; t > d > 4 > r ; k > g > G > h / #_V_L and V_V

p > b > B> w / V_V

pa > ba > Ba > wa
pi > bi > Bi > wi
pu > bu > Bu > wu
pe > be > Be > we
po > bo > Bo > wo

p > p_h > p\ > f / #_V_L

pa > p_ha > p\a > fa
pi > p_hi > p\i > fi
pu > p_hu > p\u > fu
pe > p_he > p\e > fe
po > p_ho > p\o > fo

t > d > 4 > r / V_V

ata > ada > a4a > ara
ati > adi > a4i > ari

atu > adu > a4u > aru

ate > ade > a4e > are
ato > ado > a4o > aro

t > t_h > ts > s / #_V_L

ta > t_ha > tsa > sa
tu > t_hu > tsu > su

ti > t_hi > tsi > si
te > t_he > tse > se
to > t_ho > yso > so

k > g > G > h / V_V

ka > ga > Ga > ha
ku > gu > Gu > hu
ke > ge > Ge > he
ko > go > Go > ho

k > k_h > ks/kf > s/f / #_V_L

ka > k_ha > ksa > sa
ku > k_hu > kfu > hfu
ke > k_he > kse > se
ko > k_ho > kfo > fo

Proto-West Vowel Changes:

The main noticed change in Proto-West vowels was the obvious instability of the /uV/ vowel clusters as they changed to /_wV/ and started on the path towards labial-velars. These sounds due to being in so narrow a range and under such specific circumstances had led many scholars to say that these sounds came from borrowings and thru standard language contact instead of natural sound change. Since the emphasis is so strong to keep no vowel clusters and keep open ended syllables, the change was certain, the real debate is just how the clusters came if not thru borrowings, which some scholars have difficulty with.

ui > _wi, ue > _we, ua > _wa, uo > _wo

ui > _wi

kuipe > k_wipe > kpipe > gbibe
guibu > g_wibu > gbibu
kuita > k_wita > kpita > gbida

ue > _we

guenda > g_wenda > gbenda
kuemu > k_wemu > kpemu > gbemu
guedu > g_wedu > gbedu

ua > _wa

kuame > k_wame > kpame > gbame
guabo > g_wabo > gbabo
kuana > k_wana > kpana > gbana

uo > _wo

guomu > g_womu > gbomu
kuoba > k_woba > kpoba > gboba
guoja > g_woja > gboja

Proto West Tone Changes:

TONE CHANGES BY OLD COASTAL

Proto-West to Old Coastal did provide a little bit of excitement for tonal linguistics. The old na- prefix had a simple CV structure, yet hung on with CV: In Old Coastal, the new prefix still had the same tone for both vowels, yet dialects of OC did change the tones, especially in the red rock region, did manage to change the tones to a HL sequence and create a Falling tone for their version of the old na- prefix. Yet, speakers being as conservative as they have been, only had those “new” tones as allophones, yet times did change a little as those allotones would become more entrenched into the speech of people. The old na- prefix shortened the long aa /a:/ into a regular /a/

Down-step also had arrived as the first official presence of the mid-tone showed its presence in late Proto-West. Down-step is an ability of tonal languages to shift down a high-tone and turn it into a mid-tone. This is usually done by depressor consonants, as a mid-tone is usually seen as an allotone. But here with down-step, the tone actually becomes a real distinct tone used even in grammatical areas, such as voice, and case being the easiest to detect. Since down-step is varied, as early versions are not automatic, while later, one does see automatic down-step. The Depressor consonants decided upon by the majority of linguists are / p, t, and k/. Further down the road, the list will definitely increase as fricatives start to show themselves in Proto-Drem.

Tone names	Tone levels	Tone symbol
High	_H	à
Low	_L	á
Down-step	_M	V↓
Allotones
Rising	_R	à
Falling	_F	á

Old Coastal Phonology

~8,800 – 6,600 BE

(N)CV(V)(C)(V)

Agglut/Slightly Inflect – SVOV

	Bilabial	Dental	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Stops	p, b	t, d		c	k, k_w, g, g_w
Aspir stops	[p_h], [b_h]	[t_h], [d_h]		c_h	[k_h], [g_h]
nasals	m, mb	nt, nd	n	J, nc	N, Ng, Nk
Tap, trill			[r]
Affricates		kf	ts, ks, dz, gz
fricatives	p\, B
Lateral Approx			l
approximates				j
Aspir approx				j_h

Vowels
	Front	Center	Back
Close	i, [i~], I	[1], [1~]	U, u, [u~]
Close-Mid	e, [e~]		o, [o~]
Mid		@
Open		a, [a~]

Old Coastal sound changes to Modern Coastal:

Late Mid OC (7900-7700)
Early Late OC (7700–7200)	p\I > fI BI > vI tsI > sI dzI > zI ksI > sI gzI > zI c_hI > sI j_hI > zI	p\U > fU BU > vU tsU > sU dzU > zU kfU > fU gzU > zU c_hU > sU j_hU > zU	Ø > f Ø > v Ø > s Ø > z	C@C > CC @ > Ø / C_C
Late C (7200-6800)			Ø > @ _# a > @ / C_C	b > B / V_V g > G / V_V d > 4 / V_V p_h > p\ / #_V_L t_h > ts / #_V_L k_h > ks/kf / #_V_L	k_w > kp) g_w > gb) Nk_w > Nkp) Ng_w > Ngb)
Trans OC (6800-6600)

The culture of Old Coastal showed a major change as Old Coastal represents the late Neolithic, while Modern coastal shows the first signs of agriculture, specifically a slash and burn technique that is the start of agriculture on this part of the continent. Due to these early signs of agriculture, archeologists have given a period of 6400 to 6100 to be the true boundary as slash and burn techniques spread and farming started. A few thousand years later, around 4200 BE, at the very end of Modern Coastal and the start of Proto-Drem, the start of the Copper Age on the continent started. So the cultural changes over Old and Modern Coastal would present some real challenges for the region and the peoples of this part of the continent. The large animals and herds of the Ice Age dwindled and were smaller, as even a dwarf mammoth showed up as remains were found on the islands and as small herds on the great grassy plains. Aurochs, the great Ice Age buffalo wandered in the deep thick forests, as the great cats and the great Cave Bear wandered the mountains and foothills of the Great Grey Mountains.

The language showed some good stability of its tonal system, which is usually strange for any tonal language. The tones change structurally as far as going away from a grammatical emphasis to more of a lexical, where words could be spelled the same, yet have a different tone and have entirely differing meanings. By Old Coastal one thing was clear, the use of tone spread and floating tones were in use. Depressor consonants were in force much earlier, but as tones went thru development, we see more detail and complicated use of tones, especially in how tonal phrasing and spread shows in Modern Coastal, and finally Proto-Drem.

The unstable 8V system continued, though seemingly unstable due to the ongoing spirantization, it did manage to stay around and continue. The instability was due to the allophone /1/ and the schwa being in between future geminates that turned into implosives by the time of Proto-Drem. The /1/ is heard due to vowel harmony reasons, and is quietly changed to /1/ or /u/ so any vowel rising from /a/ > /1/ changes further and keep the /1/ as an allophone of /a/. In Modern Coastal, the same system was expected, as in Proto-Drem, the schwa and the vowel merger occurred giving the language a smaller 5V system that is seen in the majority of languages on the continent these days.

Vowel Harmony continued to develop, yet stay stable as far as its front & back harmony. The front/back harmony continued as it did, as the /a/ continued to be risen to /1/, which is some dialects of Old Coastal, the dialects, kept /a/ set, while /1/ became a phone on it’s own to counter balance the front vs. back harmony, and later, a 3-way harmony started to develop. Yet, as known Proto-Drem stuck to the older and complex 2 way front-back harmony, a bit of height harmony did develop, which made Modern Coastal with its unstable vowel system having one of the most complex harmony systems of its day. Old Coastal had the schwa as a phone; yet, the sound was heard under such specific circumstances, that it didn’t even occur within the VH system. Dialects, those closer to the mountains did relax the /a/ in areas and raised the sound to a schwa, while the /1/ became on its own, which made red rock valley a suspect for the start of the 3-way VH heard in the area still to this day.

Noun classes stopped ‘developing’ structurally, as by Proto-West, they were already heard as NOUN+CLS. Yet, they did expand as far as classes, as some seemed to drop while others managed to take their place. The noun class system by the point of Old Coastal did manage to be around 18 to 20 classes showing singular and plural number. By the time of Modern Coastal, more “spiritual” based and “cultural” classes did show which slowly shows cultural and ‘technical’ advancements seen in the languages of the day. In Modern Coastal, the first signs of a ‘metal’ class shows, with archeological evidence points to the advent of copper being successfully mined in the region. In Old Coastal, animals and plant-life continue to be the focus of noun classes, and the plurality is still the primary focus for all noun classes seen.

Serial verbs did develop specifics and internal structure, as the overall structure remained as they are today at a SVVO structure. The serial verbs by Old Coastal had basically taken the form that would be seen for the next several thousand years, and the obvious leanings toward a strong SVO word order. Old Coastal had already taken a somewhat agglutinative style with affixes being seen as inflections were still slightly used and rarely heard. Serial verbs were still not as common as say in Proto-Drem, but still would be used as reading context was important and how the affixes played with the word order and how affixes attached to each other.

Old Coastal Consonant Changes:

The sound changes of Old Coastal like the others before consisted of two main themes. First was Spirantization which is a wide ranging chain of changes leading to stops being changed to fricatives, and finally to the merger of vowels. The other is a chain of events leading to geminates and the creation of implosives. The first chain of sound changes had by Old Coastal nearly finished as the last stage of affricates would be heard, as in Modern Coastal, the now familiar fricatives do show up. The second chain is a seemingly simple lax vowel being dropped, that would create a geminate of the surrounding consonants.

The second wave of spirantization which dealt with the low-tones of the following vowels, much like the initial wave of changes, also affected the languages a good deal. Spirantization as already known about deals with the final merger of /I/ and /U/ to /i/ and /u/, while the second wave makes the /p, t, k/ stops a fairly minor group of stops in languages along the south western coast of the continent, until finally they disappeared totally.

Implosives continued to develop, as the schwa was deleted and the surrounding consonants became a geminate /C:/. The future implosives are still developing, as they will be seen soon in Proto-Drem. The prefixes that attached to the roots and stems did include all vowels, yet only the /a/ was wiped out this way.

Due to the /@/ deleting, the initial consonant, and initial consonant of the root would form many new clusters that had never been heard before.

The changes of Old Coastal did of course also presented it some minor changes, which on the surface seem very minor and without influence, but that is where we must be careful and see at a deeper level, just what happens. The schwa was eliminated as the geminate clusters formed, but later on, the final /a/ of words started to fall in speech and become a schwa, keeping that sound within the set of vowels of late Old Coastal, and ultimately within Modern Coastal.

Spirantization

This is the fourth and final stage of Spirantization which takes those affricates and turns them into fricatives. The next stage shows the end result of spiratization is the vowel merger of /I/ with /i/ and /U/ with /u/.

/I/

pI > p_hI > p\I > fI

p\I > fI
p\Ika > fIka
p\Ite > fIte

pI > p_hI > psI > tsI > sI

tsI >sI
tsIge > sIge
tsImo > sImo

bI > b_hI > BI > vI

BItu > vItu
BIdo > vIdo
BIne > vIne

tI > t_hI > tsI > sI

tsImu > sImu
tsIbu > sIbu
tsIbe > sIbe

dI > d_hI > dzI > zI

dzIbu > zIbu
dzIma > zIma
dzIte > zIte

kI > k_hI > ksI > tsI > sI

tsInde > sInde
tsINa > sINga
tsIgu > sIgu

gI > g_hI > gzI > dzI > zI

dzINe > zINge
dzIgzI > zIdzI
dzIbo > zIbo

cI > c_hI > sI

c_hIde > sIde
c_hIndu > sIndu
c_hImbo > sImbo

jI > j_hI > zI

j_hInde > zInde
j_hImbo > zImbo
j_hInta > zInta

/U/

p\I > fI > p\I > fI

p\U > fU
p\Uka > fUka
p\Ute > fUte

pI > p_hI > psI > tsI > sI

tsU >tsU
tsUge > sUge
tsUmo > sUmo

bI > b_hI > BI > vI

BUtu > vUtu
BUdo > vUdo
BUne > BvUne

tI > t_hI > tsI > sI

tsUmu > sUmu
tsUbu > sUbu
tsUbe > sUbe

dI > d_hI > dzI > zI

dzUbu > zUbu
dzUma > zUma
dzUte > zUte

kI > k_hI > ksI > tsI > sI

tsUnde > sUnde
tsUNa > sUNga
tsUgu > sUgu

gI > g_hI > gzI > dzI > zI

dzUNe > zUNge
dzUgzU > zUdzU
dzUbo > zUbo

cI > c_hI > sI

c_hUde > sUde
c_hUndu > sUndu
c_hUmbo > sUmbo

jI > j_hI > zI

j_hUnde > zUnde
j_hUmbo > zUmbo
j_hUnta > zUnta

IMPLOSIVES: a long road ahead.

Root Initial

/bab/->/b@b/->/bb/->/b_</

/bab/->/b@b/ -> /bb/ -> /b_</

baba -> b@b@ -> bb -> b_<
babe -> b@be -> bbe -> b_<e
babu -> b@bu -> bbu -> b_<u

/dad/->/d@d/ -> /dd/ -> /d_</

dada -> d@d@ -> dd -> d_<
dade -> d@de -> dde -> d_<e
dadu -> d@du -> ddu -> d_<u

/jaja/->/j@j@/ -> /jj/ -> /j_</

jaja -> j@j@ -> jj -> j_<
jaju -> j@ju -> jju -> j_ j@je -> jje -> j_<e

/gag/->/g@g/ -> /gg/ -> /g_</

gaga -> g@g@ -> gg -> g_<
gage -> g@ge -> gge -> g_<e
gagu -> g@gu -> ggu -> g_<u

Prefix Initial

Example: tree > shrub, sapling

/bab/->/b@b/->/bb/->/b_</

/bab/->/b@b/ -> /bb/ -> /b_</

baba -> b@b@ -> bb -> b_<
babe -> b@be -> bbe -> b_<e
babu -> b@bu -> bbu -> b_<u

/dad/->/d@d/ -> /dd/ -> /d_</

dada -> d@d@ -> dd -> d_<
dade -> d@de -> dde -> d_<e
dadu -> d@du -> ddu -> d_<u

/jaja/->/j@j@/ -> /jj/ -> /j_</

jaja -> j@j@ -> jj -> j_<
jaju -> j@ju -> jju -> j_ j@je -> jje -> j_<e

/gag/->/g@g/ -> /gg/ -> /g_</

gaga -> g@g@ -> gg -> g_<
gage -> g@ge -> gge -> g_<e
gagu -> g@gu -> ggu -> g_<u

Labial-Velars shining bright

kuV > k_wV > kpV, guV > g_wV > gbV, nkuV > Nk_wV > NkpV, nguV > Ng_wV > NgbV

Standard labial-velars

kuepege > k_wepege > kpege > gbege

kuipige > k_wipige > kpige > gbige

kuopogu > k_wopogu > kpogu > gbogu [(that, those, these) deer tallow]

guebene > g_webene > gbene

guibine > g_wibine > gbine

guobonu > g_wobonu > gbonu

Nasal Assimilation labial-velars

nkuepege > Nk_wepege > Nkpege > Ngbege

nkuipige > Nk_wipige > Nkpige > Ngbige

nkuopogu > Nk_wopogu > Nkpogu > Ngbogu [(that, those, these) deer tallow]

nguebene > Ng_webene > Ngbene

nguibine > Ng_wibine > Ngbine

nguobonu > Ng_wobonu > Ngbonu

Lenition & Spirantization Wave II

p > p_h > p\ > f ; p > b > B > w ; t > ts > s > h ; t > d > 4 > r ; k > g > G > h / #_V_L and V_V

p > b > B > w / V_V

pa > ba > Ba > wa
pi > bi > Bi > wi
pu > bu > Bu > wu
pe > be > Be > we
po > bo > Bo > wo

p > p_h > p\ > f / #_V_L

pa > p_ha > p\a > fa
pi > p_hi > p\i > fi
pu > p_hu > p\u > fu
pe > p_he > p\e > fe
po > p_ho > p\o > fo

t > d > 4 > r / V_V

ata > ada > a4a > ara
ati > adi > a4i > ari

atu > adu > a4u > aru

ate > ade > a4e > are
ato > ado > a4o > aro

t > t_h > ts > s / #_V_L

ta > t_ha > tsa > sa
tu > t_hu > tsu > su

ti > t_hi > tsi > si
te > t_he > tse > se
to > t_ho > tso > so

k > g > G > h / V_V

ka > ga > Ga > ha
ku > gu > Gu > hu
ke > ge > Ge > he
ko > go > Go > ho

k > k_h > ks/kf > s/f / #_V_L

ka > k_ha > ksa > sa
ku > k_hu > kfu > hfu
ke > k_he > kse > se
ko > k_ho > kfo > fo

Old Coastal Vowel Changes:

Old Coastal was not known for any vowel changes, as the languages dialects also show nothing as far as real substantive changes. In the swamp dialect, the old word final schwa was dropped and a new addition popped in, the final vowel. The final vowel was either tonal or non-tonal and always in line with vowel harmony of the word. So the final vowel kept the open syllable of the stem as CVC-V while the root in that dialect had become a closed syllable. One interesting thing to note about the swamp dialect was the reduplication was VC and so their reduplicated stem looked like CVC-VC-V and a tri-consonantal look, which is seen in eastern languages on the far side of the Grey Mountains.

As far as Old Coastal though, the root stayed a well known CVCV. The root continued to pile on more affixes as the language became more agglutinative where towards Proto-Drem, it was very agglutinative, and almost polysynthetic with the way the verb and object attached.

The main change was the continued /a/ > /@/ which made the medial /a/ a rare sound indeed, which cause by the end of Modern Coastal a vowel shift that turned some heads and caused /a/ once again to be a familiar sound in the language. These changes were seen in Proto-West with the fusion of consonants and the incoming implosives and labial-velars heard in Proto-Drem.

Old Coastal Tone Changes:

Here in Coastal, the roots actually grew to 3 syllables, which happened to be nouns of mostly animal names. The verbs kept to a 2 syllable max, as now the tones became more complex with the addition of the third syllable. And so the sandhi rules grew as well. The downshifted Mid-tone finally got marked with a down arrow to contrast it from a non-tonal syllable. Old Coastal with keeping the CVCV syllables, had stayed with simple tones, as vowel clusters were non-existent in the language. The Old Coastal form of downstep showed the beginnings of automatic downstep as the final vowel had its tone lowered, and due to depressor consonants, the allotone /_E/ showed up in a few roots, especially those which ended in a final schwa.

Tone names	Tone levels	Tone symbol
High	_H	à
Low	_L	á
Down-step	_M	V↓
Allotones
Extra-Low	_E	á

Modern Coastal Phonology:

~6,600 – 4,200 BE

Heavy Agglutinating – SVO

	Bilabial	Dental	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Stops	p, b	t, d		c	k, kp), g, gb)
Aspir stops	[p_h], [b_h]	[t_h], [d_h]			[k_h], [g_h]
geminates	bb	dd		jj	gg
nasals	m, mb	nd	n	J, nc	N, Nkp), Ngb), [Ng], [Nk]
Tap, trill			[4], r
fricatives		f, v	s, z
Lateral Approx			[l]
approximates				j

Vowels
	Front	Center	Back
Close	i, [i~], I	1	U, u, [u~]
Close-Mid	e, [e~]		o, [o~]
Mid		@
Open		a, [a~]

Modern Coastal sound changes to Proto-Drem:

Late Mid MC (5600-5300)
Early Late MC (5300–4500)			1_L > u 1_H > i @ > a	B > w / V_V 4 > r / V_V G > h / V_V
Late MC (4500-4300)	C: > C_<	4 > r / V_V	I > i U > u	p\ > f / #_V_L ts > s / #_V_L kf > f / #_V_L ks > s / #_V_L
Transition MC (4300-4200)					p > b t > d c > J\ k > g	kp) > gb) Nkp) > Ngb)

Modern Coastal as a language generally went from a heavy agglutinating one to where the verb and object fused together and in several ways turned into a polysynthetic one as it became Proto-Drem.

Modern Coastal finishing up with spirantization showed a distinct collapse of its vowel system to go from a debated 9V system to a 5V system as 4 vowels, only 1 of which was a major vowel changed over and merged. The seemingly strange collapse was helped by the unstability of the consistent schwa deletion and the final stages of spirantization. Thus, the /@, I, U/ all were fairly minor vowels and would merge with their superior neighbor /a, i, u/ The only strange merger was how /1/ split due to tone constraints and became either /i/ or /u/ depending on its tone. This great vowel merger was a rare thing, as most languages actually shift as vowels just change, but with spirantization, several languages did what Modern Coastal did, but only to a lesser degree.

Vowel Harmony in Modern Coastal kept its familiar front vs. Back harmony, as did Proto-Drem. The harmony stayed fairly simple as the vowels merged and changed to the locations we see in the Proto-Drem vowel chart below.

The tonal system of Modern Coastal was actually fairly consistent. The CVCV structure still held after many thousands of years and so vowel clusters didn’t form, which made the standard set of tones rarely change, but change they did. Very few languages were able to keep the Old Proto-Migration system of (LL, LH, HL, HH), but a few did. Most would change a Low-tone to a high, and vice-versa, but other than that, nothing crazy like vowel clusters or falling & rising tones really developed.

Noun Classes in Modern Coastal and eventually in Proto-Drem did make a strange yet understandable change.

Serial verbs in Modern Coastal had basically settled into the familiar SVVO pattern we see in Proto-Drem, although in Modern Coastal, the serial verb types were still not as complex or complete as we see in Proto-Drem. Scholars still debate how a seemingly polysynthetic language like Proto-Drem can have such a complex system of Serial verbs and in ways look so isolating. The debate still goes one, as Proto-Drem seems like a language to be studied to uncover its unique twists.

Modern Coastal Consonant Changes:

Modern Coastal compared to the other changes seen before, had less of a change overall as the main series of changes had either finished, or were just about to finish. The changes showed a fairly stable language change into what some consider a more unstable one, since Proto-Drem had strange tendencies to agglutinate and fuse affixes and look fairly polysynthetic, which for the Dremish continent is unusual. The main consonant changes dealt with once again the incoming implosives and the final stages of spirantization. Oddly for Modern Coastal, due to the changes of how the affixes attached the noun classes shifted position and became a prefix for the subject and stayed as a suffix for the object. Why this change occurred is rarely under debate as one sees how the polysynthetic syntax shows up.

IMPLOSIVES: a long road ahead.

Implosives are actually a rare thing, but still heard to be an important thing in Modern Coastal, and Proto-Drem. In Proto-Drem, there are regular implosives and “nasal” implosives to make some odd medial and word initial sounds. The changes occurred fairly late in Proto-Migration, yet continued for the next 8000 years until the start of Proto-Drem where the language has a flavor unlike a lot of surrounding languages. One thing to see is that this grand change towards implosives is aiming immediately for 8 implosives, 4 regular, and 4 “nasalized”. The 4 regular can in Proto-Drem be seen initial and medial, while the “nasalized” are only word initial. Why this is the case is still a matter for debate. The main issue linguists say is there can be no ‘nasalization’ /_n/ when the implosive is a glottalic /?b/ so a /?b_n/ or a /?_nb/ they say cannot exist and is not attested in any language known. Most linguists to this day still consider the nasal to be syllabic /m=/ or /n=/ so a ‘nasalized implosive is actually /m=?b/. But this debate continues to rage on and will be decided with future research. This scholar will take the attested ‘safe’ route and go with a syllabic nasal attached to the implosive.

Root Initial

/bab/->/b@b/->/bb/->/b_</

/bab/->/b@b/ -> /bb/ -> /b_</

baba -> b@b@ -> bb -> b_<
babe -> b@be -> bbe -> b_<e
babu -> b@bu -> bbu -> b_<u

/dad/->/d@d/ -> /dd/ -> /d_</

dada -> d@d@ -> dd -> d_<
dade -> d@de -> dde -> d_<e
dadu -> d@du -> ddu -> d_<u

/jaja/->/j@j@/ -> /jj/ -> /j_</

jaja -> j@j@ -> jj -> j_<
jaju -> j@ju -> jju -> j_ j@je -> jje -> j_<e

/gag/->/g@g/ -> /gg/ -> /g_</

gaga -> g@g@ -> gg -> g_<
gage -> g@ge -> gge -> g_<e
gagu -> g@gu -> ggu -> g_<u

Prefix Initial

Example: tree > shrub, sapling

/bab/->/b@b/->/bb/->/b_</

/bab/->/b@b/ -> /bb/ -> /b_</

baba -> b@b@ -> bb -> b_<
babe -> b@be -> bbe -> b_<e
babu -> b@bu -> bbu -> b_<u

/dad/->/d@d/ -> /dd/ -> /d_</

dada -> d@d@ -> dd -> d_<
dade -> d@de -> dde -> d_<e
dadu -> d@du -> ddu -> d_<u

/jaja/->/j@j@/ -> /jj/ -> /j_</

jaja -> j@j@ -> jj -> j_<
jaju -> j@ju -> jju -> j_ j@je -> jje -> j_<e

/gag/->/g@g/ -> /gg/ -> /g_</

gaga -> g@g@ -> gg -> g_<
gage -> g@ge -> gge -> g_<e
gagu -> g@gu -> ggu -> g_<u

Labial-Velars merging

kuV > k_wV > kpV, guV > g_wV > gbV, nkuV > Nk_wV > NkpV, nguV > Ng_wV > NgbV

Standard labial-velars

kuepege > k_wepege > kpege > gbege

kuipige > k_wipige > kpige > gbige

kuopogu > k_wopogu > kpogu > gbogu [(that, those, these) deer tallow]

guebene > g_webene > gbene

guibine > g_wibine > gbine

guobonu > g_wobonu > gbonu

Nasal Assimilation labial-velars

nkuepege > Nk_wepege > Nkpege > gbege

nkuepege > Nk_wepege > Nkpege > Ngbege

nkuipige > Nk_wipige > Nkpige > Ngbige

nkuopogu > Nk_wopogu > Nkpogu > Ngbogu [(that, those, these) deer tallow]

nguebene > Ng_webene > Ngbene

nguibine > Ng_wibine > Ngbine

nguobonu > Ng_wobonu > Ngbonu

Lenition & Spirantization Wave II

p > p_h > p\ > f ; p > b > B > w ; t > ts > s > h ; t > d > 4 > r ; k > g > G > h / #_V_L and V_V

p > b > B> w / V_V

pa > ba > Ba > wa
pi > bi > Bi > wi
pu > bu > Bu > wu
pe > be > Be > we
po > bo > Bo > wo

p > p_h > p\ > f / #_V_L

pa > p_ha > p\a > fa
pi > p_hi > p\i > fi
pu > p_hu > p\u > fu
pe > p_he > p\e > fe
po > p_ho > p\o > fo

t > d > 4 > r / V_V

ata > ada > a4a > ara
ati > adi > a4i > ari

atu > adu > a4u > aru

ate > ade > a4e > are
ato > ado > a4o > aro

t > t_h > ts > s / #_V_L

ta > t_ha > tsa > sa
tu > t_hu > tsu > su

ti > t_hi > tsi > si
te > t_he > tse > se
to > t_ho > tso > so

k > g > G > h / V_V

ka > ga > Ga > ha
ku > gu > Gu > hu
ke > ge > Ge > he
ko > go > Go > ho

k > k_h > ks/kf > s/f / #_V_L

ka > k_ha > ksa > sa
ku > k_hu > kfu > fu
ke > k_he > kse > se
ko > k_ho > kfo > fo

VOICING OF VOICELESS STOPS:

The time had come for p, t, and k to be lost. The big change for all 3 consonants was a process called voicing. The sounds had been weakened over time, as the allophones were becoming stronger to the point that the p, t, and k sounds were not really even used, and even they would be considered to be allophones of b, d, and g. The changes seen here are to a point major changes, yet with the continued weakening of the /p, t, c, k/ series, the final loss of those sounds is understandable. From correspondence lists, it is easy to see that the loss of these sounds didn’t create a push or pull chain, the changes just formed a simple merge with /b, d, J\, g/. Note that Modern Coastal didn’t have /J\/, and so this is a new sound totally found within Proto-Drem.

/p/->/b/, /t/->/d/, /c -> J\/, /k/->/g/: Found root Initial and root medial.

/p/->/b/

pa -> ba
pe -> be
pu -> bu

/t/->/d/

ta -> da
te -> de
tu -> du

/c/ -> /J\/

ci -> /J\/

/k/->/g/

ka -> ga
ke -> ge
ku -> gu

Vowel Changes:

Vowel Merger

Due to the massive changes brought out by Spirantization, the vowels merged and Proto-Drem became a 5V system compared to the 7V systems seen earlier. The merge brought about the /U/ and it merged with /u/ and the other vowel change was the /I/ which became /i/.

/I/ -> /i/, /U/ -> /u/

/I/ -> /i/

/fI/ -> /fi/

fIme > fime
fIm1 > fimi
fIli > fili

/sI/ -> /si/

sIme > sime
sIm1 > simi
sIli > sili

/vI/ -> /vi/

vIme > vime
vIm1 > vimi
vIli > vili

/U/ -> /u/

/fU/ -> /fu/

fUm@ > fuma
fUm1 > fumu
fUlo > fulo

/sU/ -> /su/

sUm@ > suma
sUm1 > sumu
sUlo > sulo

/vU/ -> /vu/

vUm@ > vuma
vUm1 > vumu
vUlo > vulo

Modern Coastal Tone Changes:

TONE CHANGES BY PROTO DREM

Allotone changes in Modern Coastal:

Like regular tones, so also did the allotones change. In Modern Coastal, they grew just a bit more complex, but not by much.

High-tone allotones

Extra-High /_T/: Found after another High-tone not in Penultimate syllable

XXX > XXX

High-tone /_H/: Found in Bodies of words

XXX > XXX

Mid-tone /_M/: Found at end of Phrase

XXX > XXX

High-Falling /_H_F/: Found in Penultimate syllable of phrase before a low-tone.

XXX > XXX

High-Mid /_H_M/: Found in Penultimate syllable in phrase before a high-tone.

XXX > XXX

Low-tone allotones

Extra-Low /_B/: Found following another low-tone

XXX > XXX

Low-tone /_L/: Found in bodies of words, as noun prefixes and finally after high-tone

XXX > XXX

Low-Falling /_L_F/: Found in Penultimate syllable

XXX > XXX

Tone names	Tone levels	Tone symbol
High	_H	á
Low	_L	à
Down-stepped High	_H↓	á↓
Allotone
Extra-High	_T	á
Mid	_M	á
High-Falling	_H_F	á
High-Mid	_H_M	á
Extra-Low	_B	à
Low-Falling	_L_F	à

Proto-Drem Phonology:

~4,200 – 2,600 BE

Poly/Agglutinating - SVO

	Bilabial	Dental	Alveolar	Post Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Stops	b	d			J\	g, gb)	[?]
Aspirated	[b_h]	[d_h]			[J\_h]	[g_h]
Implosives	b_<	d_<			j_<	g_<
Ns Implosive	mb_<	nd_<			J\_<	N_<
Nasal	m, mb	nd	n		J, nc	Nk, N, Ngb), [Ng]
Taps/Trills			r, [4]
Fricatives		f, v	s, z	[S], [Z]			h
Laterals			l,[5],[K], [l_d],[l~]
Approximants	w				j

Vowels
	Front	Center	Back
Close	i, [i~], [i:], [I], [e_r]	[i_-], [u_+]	u, [u~], [u:], [U], [o_r]
Close-Mid	e, [e~], [e:]		o, [o~], [o:]
Mid	[e_o]	[@], [a_r]	[o_o]
Open		a, [a~], [a:]

j

[j_h]

j

j_h

j

o, [o~], [o:]

[o_o]