Proto-Ayja-Né

Classification and Dialects

 * Proto-Ayja-Né
 * Ko-Ayja
 * Uylebisan
 * Tthit’e-Xwăłe
 * Tthit’e
 * Xwăłe
 * Northern
 * Nanjey'a
 * Njhuy'é
 * Kwxwąątsătwth
 * Central
 * Southern
 * Né
 * Northern
 * Southern

Vowels
The vowels /i/ and /u/ have lengthened forms and there are four possible diphthongs: /eɪ, aɪ, aʊ, oʊ/

All vowels (long, short, diphthong and monophthong) have high and low tones

Phonotactics
Syllables are CV(C)

Open Syllables have no consonant following the vowel. Closed syllables are closed with either nasalization or checking. Nasalization depends upon the consonant of the following syllable.
 * Ex. /ba/, /gʲʰaʊ/, /t̪eɪ/
 * Ex. /poʊm/, /gʷʰeŋ/
 * Before {p, b, bʰ, f, v, m} the nasalization is [m].
 * Before {t̪, d̪, d̪ʰ, ð, θ, z, s, r, n} it is [n].
 * Before {t̪ʲ, d̪ʲʰ, ðʲ, θʲ, gʲ, kʲ, gʲʰ, ɲ} the nasalization is [ɲ].
 * Before {k, g, gʰ, gʷ, kʷ, gʷʰ, ɣ, x, ŋ} the nasalization is [ŋ].
 * 1) No /h/ or /ʔ/ in the coda of a syllable
 * 2) No consecutive syllables each with an aspirated consonant
 * 3) No affricates in complex onsets
 * 4) No palatal consonants in a complex coda
 * 5) All nasals must be homorganic with the next section

Sound Changes Leading to Nanjey'a
From Proto-Ayja-Né, it is thought that the language split into two distinct geographical groups separating the language. The first group is considered the Kot'a-Ayja, because it is though that these people lived on the Kot'a and Ayja peninsulas located in the now Xwúúp'a'a sea. By this point the unvoived plain plosives in Proto-Ayja-Né had become ejective and the voiced plain plosives lost their voicing:

/p, t̪, k/ > /p', t̪', k'/

/b, d̪, g/ > /p, t̪, k/

Root Construction
Proto-Ayja-Né was likely based on a bi-lateral root system with the use of apophony common to change meanings of roots slightly.

Bi-lateral roots are based on two consonants with a general meaning. The general meaning of the root becomes more specific as the root is declined into other 'secondary roots'. Although all modern languages derived from Proto-Ayja-Né have no well defined root systems, traces of the primary bi-lateral roots system can still be seen.

Conjugation
Proto-Ayja-Né conjugate according to mood, tense, state

Some although some consider Proto-Ayja-Né a conjugating language, most think that it attached its pronouns to the end of its verbs to determine subject and object:

mood-aspect-VERB(TENSE)-SubjectPronoun-IndirectObjectPronoun-DirectObjectPronoun

Proto-Ayja-Né verbs also have aspects marked by prefixes.Some aspects combine with others to create even finer distinctions. The following are all the common aspects:

Syntax
Proto-Ayja-Né is considered a VSO