Proto-Edalith

General Information
Proto-Edalith is the protolanguage of one of the largest language macrofamilies of the planet Patrona. Among its descendant languages are over half of the top ten most spoken languages by number of native and total speakers.

Classification
Proto-Edalith diverged into the Edalith language family. Descendants include: Proto-Chevin, Proto-Ngalran, and Proto-Siaibeist.

Consonants
The traditional classification and symbols are shown below.

Vowels

 * Diphthongs consist of any two consecutive vowels, even two of the same vowel.
 * Triphthongs consist of any three consecutive vowels, except that the first two may not be the same.

Therefore, kor1eʔmus* "straight stick" may have been pronounced [koreʔmus].

Phonotactics
CV(V)(V)(C)

Stress
It is unknown how stress worked in Proto-Edalith, as nearly every daughter language treats it differently.

Nouns
Nouns in Proto-Edalith are formed with optional prefixes, a root, a derivational suffix, and a grammatical ending. Nouns declined for gender, case, and number.

Case
Eight cases can be reconstructed, more than any daughter language has. Each case has a suffix associated with it. Some case suffixes also change for genders and/or number. If this suffix indicates number, the daughter languages disagree as to whether a plural suffix is needed in those cases. The nominative suffixes are subject to a confusing number of alternative forms, interpreted differently in the daughter language families.

Gender
The two genders were the avocalic animate gender, and the vocalic neuter gender, which ended in any number of gendered suffixes.

Example animate suffixes: nt

Example inanimate suffixes: iu, tu, ʔmu, ʔr2i

Examples
* reeh-nt-? "person, being" (an.) * kor1e-ʔmu-? "straight stick, walking stick" (inan.)

Verbs
Verbs were definitely marked for person (1st, 2nd, and 3rd), number (sg and pl), and tense (nonpast and past). Verbs are exceedingly regular, as there are only a dozen or so irregular verbs.

Present tense
The present tense is formed with the present tense endings added to the verb stem. Two sets of present plural suffixes are reconstructed, with different language families inheriting different ones, for example the Chevin family inherited the first set and the Siaibeist and Ngalryn families inherited the second set.

Sound Changes
Proto-Edalith, Proto-Chevin, Proto-Siaibeist, Proto-Ngalryn

kor1eʔmu, korēmu, ʔoreʔmo, korìmü

tephuʔr2i, tefūwi, doiʔye, tʰipʰùrü

cher2ʔat, tsēwat, seyʔad, ʃìrat

cer1ʔat, sērat, kerʔad, ʃìrat

puituat, pwitwat, byuduʔad, pʰütʰut

puiutat, pwewtat, buyudad, pʰüütʰat