Proto-Tshyak is the parent language of Old Tshyak. Note that I am not, strictly speaking, reconstructing Proto-Tshyak from Old Tshyak but rather creating a new language which will become, as one descendent, Old Tshyak. This means that there are phonemic distinctions which are lost going from Proto-Tshyak to Old Tshyak which would not be, strictly speaking, reconstructable.
Proto-Tshyak has the following consonant phonemes:
Nasals: /m n ŋ/ m n ŋProto-Tshyak has the following vowel phonemes:
Close: /i ɯ u/ i u úThe basic syllable structure is C({ɻ l})({w j})V({m n ŋ p t k ʔ s ɕ h ɻ l w j}({ʔ s})).
Note that syllable-initial /ɻ l/ cannot be followed by /ɻ l/ and initial /w j/ can only be followed by a vowel. Also, syllable-final /ʔ/ cannot follow a stop and syllable final /s/ cannot follow a fricative.
Root syllables can also be preceded by zero or more prefixes, which take the form of /m n ŋ b d g p t k ʔ z ʑ s ɕ h ɻ l/ followed by /ə/.
Unlike Old Tshyak, there only restrictions upon what syllable-initial consonant can be followed by which of /ɻ l w j/ are that /l/ cannot follow coronal plosives and /w/ cannot follow labials.
Proto-Tshyak is isolating, with much of Old Tshyak's verbal morphology being described from pronominal and adverbial elements that became attached to the verb stem. However, it has case particles.
There are a range of particles that are placed after nouns marking case, number, and animacy:
ergative, singular, animate: liThe following particles can precede verbs to modify them in some fashion:
verbal noun ʔòCausative voice is unmarked for transitive verbs derived from intransitive verbs.
The resultative marker marks telicity when used with perfective verbs.
Passivization is indicated by using a transitive verb as intransitive without marking antipassive voice. All passives are static and thus imperfective, and passives derived from perfective verbs mark the resulting state while passives derived from imperfective verbs mark undergoing the process indicated by the imperfective verb.
The following particles, adverbs, and other markers are placed after verbs:
direct knowledge źe / deductive ka / reportative hò / assumption yè / dubitative raIt should be noted that only one dependent pronoun can be placed after a verb. When both verb arguments are SAPs, the absolutive argument gets placed after the verb as a dependent pronoun, and the ergative argument is specified as an independent pronoun with an ergative marker.
These are used to mark verb arguments and for inalienable possession; note that sa is only used for inalienable possession.
These are used for emphatic pronouns, resumptive pronouns, and emphatic inalienable possession. Note that 3rd singular yó and 3rd dual/plural ga (without qualification) are used as resumptive pronouns with multiple relative clauses, whereas otherwise the full independent pronouns are used for resumptive pronouns elsewhere. Also note that when used for inalienable possession the stems ma, rú, de, ni, lo, yó, and ga are used with the dual marker
There are the following determiners:
negative determiner: heyModal verbs are placed before the main verb in clauses. They agree with the subject of the clause but not any objects; the main verb agrees in turn with only its object. They are inherently imperfective, and can inflect for tense and mood; the main verbs used with them in turn are marked for perfectivity but unmarked for tense or mood.
shall: tyô (ipfv.)Inalienable attributive possession is expressed with a pronominal clitic placed after the possessee and its relative clauses and, optionally, a possessor and its relative clauses placed after the posessee and its relative clauses.
Dual inalienable attributive possession with a pronominal clitic or independent pronoun stem is expressed with ŋi placed after the pronominal clitic or independent pronoun stem. Plural inalienable attributive possession with a pronominal clitic or independent pronoun stem is expressed with hu placed after the pronominal clitic or independent pronoun stem.
Alienable attributive possession is expressed with the verb hətsa in a relative clause.
Predicative possession is expressed with that possessed as a subject for the existential verb gèy (pfv.) / goy (ipfv.) combined with either the benefactive ŋədźaʔ (pfv.) / ŋədźuʔ (ipfv.), to express "have" possession, tsay (pfv.) / tsuy (ipfv.) "lie", to express "own" possession, or the comitative law (ipfv.), to express "have on" possession, with the possessor as an object thereof.
The following marker is placed at the end of clauses marking yes/no questions:
The word order of wh-questions does not change from normal statements.
interrogative: ha