Re: Reconstructing Chovur

Joseph:

This looks like an interesting start, but I would dare to make a full
reconstruction based on only 24 forms. When I did the previous ring, we
used 100 cognates, and that was barely sufficient to catch everything
(especially if the protolanguage has a large inventory). Anyway, as I said
I'll do the reconstruction, but not until break, and I'd like more words
than this. If no one else is jumping on (and I'm not sure where Roger fits
into this), then we should probably keep future correspondence limited to
private e-mail.

--Jesse

> 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
>
Jesse S. Bangs jaspax@u.washington.edu
http://students.washington.edu/jaspax/

Jesus asked them, "Who do you say that I am?"

And they answered, "You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground
of our being, the kerygma in which we find the ultimate meaning of our
interpersonal relationship."

And Jesus said, "What?"

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