Proto-Serrenic Language
Proto-Serrenic was a highly fusional language, with many modern daughter languages also being highly fusional. It is usually reconstructed with a marked nominative alignment, retained by the
Chagic languages, and which would develop into an ergative-absolutive alignment in the
Dischitic languages under influence from
Horil. It is reconstructed with three cases: nominative (marked by *-a), accusative (unmarked) and genitive (marked by *-i). These case markings have proved extremely durable, remaining in some form, often unchanged, in most modern Serrenic languages (i.e.
Chazhdurm nominative -a, accusative -∅, and genitive -i, and
Faltish ergative -a, -ȧ, -ä, absolutive -∅, and genitive -i, -ı, with the different markers in Faltish having arisen from the Dischitic vowel harmony system). It is reconstructed without grammatical gender, as no recorded Serrenic language possessed or possesses any. It declined for singular and plural number, with plural being marked by *-Vn, with *V lengthening a final vowel or inserting a short prosthetic vowel matching the quality of the final vowel sound in the unmarked noun (e.g. nominative plural *ṭaḥimān, accusative plural *ṭaḥimin, and genitive plural *ṭaḥimīn). This plural marker has proved much less durable, with loss of phonemic vowel length and erosion of final nasal sounds, especially in the less conservative Dischitic branch, often eroding the marker. It is thought to have had a VSO order, retained in most Chagic languages, though many modern Serrenic languages are SOV or SVO. Verbs were marked for three tenses (past, present, and future), four moods (indicative, subjunctive, conditional, and imperative), two voices (active and passive), two numbers (singular and plural), and three persons (first, second, and third).
Proto-Serrenic is reconstructed as having several triads of similar voiced, voiceless, and emphatic consonants. The emphatic series are usually reconstructed as having been glottalised (ejective), with these consonants developing in different ways in the different branches. The Dischitic branch would merge the emphatic consonants into the voiceless series, likely under influence from Horil and possibly early Oecumeno-Davanian languages.
Northern Chagic would retain the emphatic series as glottalised, while the
Southern branch would realise them as pharyngealised consonants, with the
Southeastern branch eventually merging the emphatic series into the voiceless series, likely under influence from
Varaso.
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