Reconstructing Chovur

For those of you interested in reconstructing an ancestral language, here's
the word list.  Chovur, the ancient tongue, split into three separate
languages: Altsag Venchet, Tsom Venchet, and Ulzu Qhalda.

English - Alts. - TsV. - UQh. - Th.
blood - gultaig - kultair - gultaigh
bow - kezhar - yezhar - yezhar
encampment - taik - jak - chaik
evil - tsesh - dzesh - tsesh
eye - irek - ngirek - ngirek
falcon - damva - jangva - qhra
flee - kovir - kobir - kobvir
flow - zhake - zhaide - zhaje
food - bayar - patar - bajar
glory - balkhad - palkhar - balqazh
group - taichir - jachir - taichir
hoof - korum - koruv - korum
hunt - chela - chela - chela
lake - ulzu - rucha - ulzu
law - daya - tata - daja
rain - aik - akh - aish
sky - angqar - avilor - angqhar
stone - turot - turosh - turosh
throw - ajeng - aijeng - ajeng
time - tuyu - tu - tuju
wagon - sheyer - chödar - töjör
white - red - eired - ered
woman - olmeig - olmeir - olmeigh
wool - khuluz - öngar - öngar

Here are complete declensions of two nouns, in the singular and plural.
Note that Altsag Venchet lacks a referential case.

-- Encampment
nom. - taik - jak - chaik
acc. - taiken - jakes - chaiken
pred. - taikash - jakat - chaikat
dat. - taikang - jakash - chaikang
gen. - taikil - jakil - chaichil
ref. - ... - jakös - chaikön

nom. - taikra - jakra - chaikra
acc. - taikranen - jakrases - chaikranen
pred. - taikrat - jakrat - chaikrat
dat. - taikrang - jakrash - chaikrang
gen. - taikralil - jakralil - chaikralil
ref. - ... - jakrasös - chaikranön

-- Falcon
nom. - damva - jangva - qhra
acc. - damvanen - jangvases - qhranen
pred. - damvat - jangvat - qhra
dat. - damvang - jangvash - qhrang
gen. - damvalil - jangvalil - qhralil
ref. - ... - jangvasös - qhranön

nom. - damvatukh - jangvaduk - qhratuk
acc. - damvatughen - jangvatuges - qhratuken
pred. - damvatughat - jangvatugat - qhratukat
dat. - damvatughang - jangvatugash - qhratukang
gen. - damvatughil - jangvatugil - qhratuchil
ref. - ... - jangvatugos - qhratukön


These languages are not separated from Chovur by an incredible amount of
changes, so it should be easier than some reconstructions, but a challenge
nonetheless.  I have used what I think are legitimate sound changes from
Chovur to its descendants, though there has been some borrowing from outside
languages, and a few sporadic sound changes.  There has been borrowing
between the three Chovur tongues, but I have used none of that here, as it
would only complicate the issue.

All of these languages use the same orthography.

stops: p, b, t, d, k, g, q
nasals: m, n, ng
affricates: ts, dz, ch, j, qh
fricatives: v, s, z, sh, zh, kh, gh
approximants: w, l, r, y

I'd be interested to see what anyone comes up with.  If this is a breeze,
I've got another language family I'm working on that has diverged at a
greater time depth.

Joe Fatula

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