Proto-Andem

General Information
Proto-Andem (Andem comes from the Alemarese name for the region, the original speakers may have called their language *Bhaa’ “speech") is the proto-language of the Andem language family, a rather large language family spoken by a large portion of the alien Patronans of the planet Patrona, specifically originating from the Andem subcontinent off the southwest coast of the largest continent, Chiwar. Andem languages spread along with the Djipirist religion.

Consonants
m, p, b, ph, bh, n, t, d, th, dh, s, ṇ, ṭ, ḍ, ṭh, ḍh, ŋ, k, g, kh, gh, ’


 * /s/ could have been nearly any sibilant, and was almost certainly voiced before voiced consonants.
 * /d/ may have been a flap or trill in some environments, as it's reflexes in many daughter languages.
 * The voiced aspirate series could have been murmured or breathy voiceless aspirates among other possibilities.

Vowels
i, y, a, u

Phonotactics
CV(V)(C)
 * There are no word-initial or word-final consonant clusters. Any potential illegal cluster is broken by an epenthetic /ɨ/.
 * Geminates are suppressed.
 * Any two vowels can occur together in a syllable, forming a diphthong or long vowel. Any additional vowels added onto a diphthong or long vowel will be separated with an epenthetic /ʔ/.
 * Dentialveolar consonants do not begin any native roots, though they may begin syllables otherwise, including suffixes.
 * Legal words have a two-mora minimum, that is, the minimum word is CVV or CVN. An epenthetic /ɨ/ is added to any word which would fall short.

Grammar
Proto-Andem was an agglutinative language built on a system of roots and affixes (which are mostly suffixes). Roots have no innate part of speech and can alternate freely between verbal, nominal, and adjectival meanings, sometimes with no overt marking. Roots can also be combined to form impressive compounds, the primary method of derivation. Though extremely important and comprehensive, distinctions made via affixes are almost all optional, and affixes can be left out if context is enough to clear up ambiguities. The canonical order of affixes is very fluid, with the most salient affixes being last.

Word order was mostly head-final, though case markings probably made moving words around for focus possible.

Nouns
Nouns can take markings for: number, case, determiner, tense, diminutive/augmentative, & conjunctions.

Determiners (prefixes): this/here bha-, my/our ghi-, your ṇi-, his/her/its/their ’i-, each phyu-, which ’aḍhy-, no pu-, few ’aḍpu-, many ḍyy-, all khama-

Number: collective -0, singular -is, dual -ia, plural -symi

Cases: nominative -0, accusative -u, genitive -i, instrumental -ta, comitative -byn, equative -sai, causative -ḍaŋku, dative -ŋa, perlative -sas, ablative -ṭy, adessive -na, inessive -ḍu, superessive -ḍyy, subessive -kuph

Verbs
Verbs can take markings for: subject, object, voice, mood, aspect, tense, diminutive/augmentative, & conjunctions.

Subject (prefixes): first person ghy-, second person ṇa-, third person 0-

Object: first person -dam, second person -ṇa, third person indefinite -’i, third person definite -yt

Voices (prefixes): active 0-, passive bi-, causative ’iḍ-, instrumental applicative ta-, comitative applicative byn-, dative applicative ghi-, perlative applicative ’ysas-, ablative applicative ṭy-

Aspects: imperfective -0, momentane -syy, iterative -’a’y, generic -yṇ, continuative -mau, accidental -’u’a, inchoative -ium, cessative -iuḍh, resumptive -ysta

Moods: indicative -0, interrogative -aḍhy, presumptive -id, abilitative -syp, desiderative -a, necessitative -sam, negative -pu

Both nouns and verbs
Tense: present -0, past -ak, future -iph

Intensity: diminutive -khi, augmentative -’au

Conjunctions: and -m, but/yet -mby, for/so/because -ḍaŋku, after -baad, before -baaky, while -biphuṭ, ever since -muṇḍu, until -khata, if -gaa

Insular Andem

 * 1) [+asp]>[+fric]
 * 2) d/r/V_
 * 3) ɖ/ɭ/V_
 * 4) V//_#/V_
 * 5) t(ɨ)/s/_#
 * 6) ɣ(ɨ)/u/_#
 * 7) ɣ/j/_
 * 8) x/h/_
 * 9) ɸ/w/_
 * 10) h//_C
 * 11) S//_C[-j]
 * 12) ɨ/ɐ/_
 * 13) au/o/_
 * 14) ua/o/_
 * 15) ai/e/_
 * 16) ia/e/_
 * 17) V//_²
 * 18) b/ɖ/ɳ_
 * 19) p/ʈ/ɳ_
 * 20) jɐ/i/_
 * 21) ʔɐ//#_C

Miscellaneous
*’andy "the homeland"

*muth "people"

*ḍha’ "shape"

*ḍauk "log, trunk"

*phaaḍ "run"

ṭhuk-y, ’isphu, ḍada, ḍaghd-is, khytph-is, suŋ-is, ṭyndy, bygh-y, kypghy, ḍythu, ’yd-y