Old Shax

Sound Changes
´ = stressed, ` = unstressed, V = vowel, C - consonant, (S) = closed syllable, (Ṩ) = open syllable.

Classical Latin Stress Rules
Usually, stress is on the penultimata; however, if both the penultima and ultima are short and are not separated by two consonants, stress is on the antepenultima.

Rules of Assimilation
Usually the first consonants determins the assimilation (ex: zt > zd, gt > gd, etc), but fricatives hold more weight in these sound changes so the voicing goes to that (ex: gs > ks, ds > ts, bɬ > pɬ). Liquids don't have phonemic voice and are therefore irrelevant.

Classic Latin > Vulgar Latin

 * [yː], [ʏ] > [iː], [ɪ]
 * m > ∅/_# (except in monosyllable words)
 * m, n > ∅/(fricative)
 * w > β
 * h > ∅
 * b > β/V_V
 * syncope of vowels in unstressed medial syllables ending in [l] or [r]
 * oi̯ > e
 * ai̯ > ɛː
 * Removal of phonemic length (except in open stressed syllables and monosyllable words)
 * (e, i) > j/_V
 * ɪ > e
 * ʊ > o

Vulgar Latin > Mauritanian Romance

 * (o, u) > w/_V
 * au̯ > ɔ
 * pʰ > f
 * tʰ > tː
 * kʰ > x
 * β > v
 * s > ∅/_#
 * s > z/_#
 * iː > i
 * uː > jo
 * aː > ɛa
 * eː > je
 * oː > wa
 * ɛː > ɛ
 * z > θ
 * t > t͡ʃ/_(i, e, j)
 * d > d͡ʒ/_(i, e, j)
 * (e, i) > j/V_C
 * (o, u) > w/V_C
 * ú > jo/#_
 * s > θ/_(i, e, j)
 * á > ɑ/!ɛ_
 * à  > a
 * í, è > i
 * é > ɛ
 * ì > e
 * ó > ɔ
 * ɛ́ > je/!#_ (polysyllable)
 * ɔ > ɑ
 * syncope in unstressed closed multisyllable words
 * plosive + [l] > plosive + [r]
 * Arabic words
 * Arabic words' (Qur'anic) sound changes
 * ʕ > ∅
 * ħ > h
 * ʔ > ∅/#_
 * ʔ > t/!#_
 * tˤ, dˤ, sˤ, zˤ~ðˤ > ts, dz, sː, zː
 * aː > ɑɛ
 * iː > ea
 * uː > oa
 * tˤ, dˤ, sˤ, ðˤ, ɮˤ > ts, dz, sː, ðw, zː
 * ɟ > ʒ
 * q > k
 * χ > x
 * ʁ > ɣ
 * l > r/V_V
 * Lenition
 * b > β/V_V
 * d > ð/V_V
 * g > ɣ/V_V
 * s > z/V_V
 * z > j/V_V
 * k > x/V_V
 * t(r, l, w) > θ(r, l, w)
 * ɑ̀ >  ɤ/S
 * ɑ̀ >  ʌ/Ṩ
 * Vm > Ṽᵝ/!_V
 * V(n, ŋ) > Ṽ/!_V
 * Ṽ(plosive) > Vn(t, d); Vm(p, b); Vŋ(k, g)
 * p > w/#_
 * Final lenition
 * b > m/_#
 * d > n/_#
 * g > ŋ/_#
 * p > f/_#
 * t > d/_#
 * k > g/#_
 * kʷ(o, u) > ku
 * kʷ(i, e) > kʷʌ
 * kʷ(a, ɑ) > kʷɑ
 * kʷ > kf!_(ɑ, ʌ)
 * s, t, d > ∅/_#
 * Vk > Ṽ/_#

Mauritanian Romance > Shax
Stress moves to the penulimate syllable and monosyllable words carry no stress


 * l > ɬ/#_
 * θ > ∅/_#
 * l > ɬ/_VC
 * ɣ > j/V_V
 * ɣ > ∅
 * d͡ʒ > t͡ʃ
 * jo > ɤ
 * ʌ̀, ʌ > ɤ
 * e, o, ɤ, ẽ, õ, ɤ˜ > ɛ, ɔ, ʌ, ɛ̃, ɔ̃, ʌ̃/S
 * ɛ, ɔ, ʌ, ɛ̃, ɔ̃, ʌ̃ > e, o, ɤ, ẽ, õ, ɤ˜/Ṩ, _#
 * u, o, ɤ > eu/C_#
 * (z, v, ð) > (θ, f, θ)/_#
 * j(i, e) > ʒ(i, e)
 * b, m > β/_#
 * p > f/_#
 * w > v/V_V
 * h > ∅/_#
 * ɑ > a/S!_#
 * (for reiteration of the previous rule with the new vowels)
 * Vm > Ṽᵝ
 * Vn > Ṽ
 * Ṽ(plosive) > Vn(t, d); Vm(p, b); Vŋ(k, g)
 * ĩ, ẽ > ɪ̃
 * ɛ̃, ã > æ̃
 * u, o, ɤ > ø̃
 * ʌ, ɔ, ɑ > ɔ̃
 * l(j, u, o) > ɬ(∅, u, ∅)
 * j > l/#_
 * ɬj > ɬ
 * Cl(j, u, o) > t͡ʃ
 * geminates except plosive geminates are shortened

Vowel
O = rounded

– = unrounded

Stress
Stress always falls on the penultimate syllable.

Alphabet
(*) they are [j] and [w] respectivally before another vowel

Diacritics
Note: because of vowel assmilation, vowels with accents, except á, don't need to be repeated (ex: éó -> éo [ɛɔ]). Exceptions use the umlaut (ex: éo -> éö [ɛo]).

Case
In the vulgar latin dialect Shax descended from, the first declension was kept for feminine nouns, and the third was kept masculine nouns. There are two cases: the nominative and the oblique: the nominative comes from the latin nominative (the nominative and genitive merged); the oblique comes from the latin accusative (in which the dative and ablative merged). There are exceptions.

Plural
In old Shax, there were three plurals: the nom-acc plural, the gen-abl plural, and the dat plural. Because the nom-acc plural looked identical to the regular nom-acc, the dat plural's ending, <-f> was borrowed and therefore turned into the plural marker. The gen plural was since dropped from modern Shax. There are exceptions.

Gender
There are two genders: masculine and feminine. Masculine can end in any vowel other than [a] and [e]. Feminine nouns always end in [a] or [e]. To make a feminine noun, you would convert the ending of the original masculine noun's vowel to one of these: [ɛ, ɑ, ɔ, ʌ] > [a] and [i, ɤ, u, o] > [e]. There are, of course, exceptions.

Definite
The definite article is taken from the latin word hīc, for proximal, and ille, for medial-distal.

Indefinite
The indefinite is taken from the latin word ūnus, for proximal, and is, for medial-distal.

Zero
The zero article in Shax corresponds to the partative article.

Adjectives
Adjectives were heavily simplified in Shax: only the stem was kept and declention was removed; there are some exceptions (e.x.: bonus).

-ari
améari = to Love

Indicative
(*) Changes to condition (where the final is assimilated into the nasal): final velar > ñ, final bilabial > m