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Difference between revisions of "Proto-Besokian language"
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The southern Besokians remained centred on Nishûnâc for considerably longer, even after the equine domestication in [[Oakshire]] around 2300 B.E.B. and the subsequent pre-[[Soskish peoples|Soskish]] expeditions reaching as far Amasia. The farming communities along the middle Besokan were the first to develop a dialect distinct from the speech of Nishûnâc, around 2300, originating the [[Reknayan languages|Reknayan language family]]. The riders of the south remain bound to Nishûnâc the longest, gaining a distinct language of their own around with the emergence of [[Proto-Sokish language|Proto-Soskish]] around 2150 B.E.B. | The southern Besokians remained centred on Nishûnâc for considerably longer, even after the equine domestication in [[Oakshire]] around 2300 B.E.B. and the subsequent pre-[[Soskish peoples|Soskish]] expeditions reaching as far Amasia. The farming communities along the middle Besokan were the first to develop a dialect distinct from the speech of Nishûnâc, around 2300, originating the [[Reknayan languages|Reknayan language family]]. The riders of the south remain bound to Nishûnâc the longest, gaining a distinct language of their own around with the emergence of [[Proto-Sokish language|Proto-Soskish]] around 2150 B.E.B. | ||
At least for the duration of the [[Old Besokian period]] (2200–1750 B.E.B.), all three groups maintain their strong ties with Nishûnâc and seem to return to the Second Hill for religious and presumably commercial activities. The language spoken by the small elite that permanently remains at the site, while showing clear signs of innovation and phonetic reduction, also remains close to its Proto-Besokian ancestor. [[Old Besokian language|Old Besokian]] seems mostly reserved for use during the great rites that all clans are gathered for. Its phonological and morphosyntactic innovations are not represented in writing, which adheres strictly to Proto-Besokian norms, until around | At least for the duration of the [[Old Besokian period]] (2200–1750 B.E.B.), all three groups maintain their strong ties with Nishûnâc and seem to return to the Second Hill for religious and presumably commercial activities. The language spoken by the small elite that permanently remains at the site, while showing clear signs of innovation and phonetic reduction, also remains close to its Proto-Besokian ancestor. [[Old Besokian language|Old Besokian]] seems mostly reserved for use during the great rites that all clans are gathered for. Its phonological and morphosyntactic innovations are not represented in writing, which adheres strictly to Proto-Besokian norms, until around 2000 B.E.B. By 1750, the political and spiritual power of Nishûnâc has diminished enough to allow its vassals to break free; Old Besokian carvings are found for not quite another century before Nishûnâc is finally abandoned around 1680 B.E.B., and with it the last remainders of a Besokian holy language. | ||
==Writing== | ==Writing== | ||
''Main Article: [[Proto-Besokian Writing]] | ''Main Article: [[Proto-Besokian Writing]] | ||
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| Complementizers<br />Conjunctions<br />Clause Negation (*''at'') || Predicate || Argument PP || Indirect Object || Direct Object<br />Unaccusative Subject || Negation (*''mî'') || Unergative Subject || <VP> || Adjuncts | | Complementizers<br />Conjunctions<br />Clause Negation (*''at'') || Predicate || Argument PP || Indirect Object || Direct Object<br />Unaccusative Subject || Negation (*''mî'') || Unergative Subject || <VP> || Adjuncts | ||
|} | |} | ||
===Morphology=== | ===Morphology=== | ||
Like that of its [[Soskish languages|Soskish descendants]], Proto-Besokian inflectional morphology is fairly simple and poor in forms. Only three inflectional prefixes are attested, a possessive marker ''îr-'' and the couplet ''î-'' and ''ê-'', the exact function of which is not known, but which based on use in descendant languages and attestation in the [[Besokian Cosmogony]] are presumed to have marked modal and local attributes, respectively. | Like that of its [[Soskish languages|Soskish descendants]], Proto-Besokian inflectional morphology is fairly simple and poor in forms. Only three inflectional prefixes are attested, a possessive marker ''îr-'' and the couplet ''î-'' and ''ê-'', the exact function of which is not known, but which based on use in descendant languages and attestation in the [[Besokian Cosmogony]] are presumed to have marked modal and local attributes, respectively. | ||
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Beside the independent affixes, Proto-Besokian seems to have had an extensive and complex derivational system, which is not preserved in any of its daughter languages and only sparingly attested in the textual record. It appears to make use of both pre- and suffixes and stem-vowel changes, so deriving an (attested) word ''hatânishor'' ‘journey’ from an (attested) root ''tûnish''. Items derived in this way seem to retain stress on the original stem vowel, explaining irregularities in the Soskish and Kattasian stress systems. | Beside the independent affixes, Proto-Besokian seems to have had an extensive and complex derivational system, which is not preserved in any of its daughter languages and only sparingly attested in the textual record. It appears to make use of both pre- and suffixes and stem-vowel changes, so deriving an (attested) word ''hatânishor'' ‘journey’ from an (attested) root ''tûnish''. Items derived in this way seem to retain stress on the original stem vowel, explaining irregularities in the Soskish and Kattasian stress systems. | ||
[[Category:Besokian languages]][[Category:Proto-Languages]] | |||