Overview
Proto-Siyuric is a constructed proto-language representing the earliest documented stage of the Siyuric family. It is currently the direct ancestor of Old Siyurian in the Lexiark language tree.
The grammar is predominantly head-final. Clauses normally place the subject before the object and the finite verb last, while noun phrases place possessors, demonstratives, numerals, verbal modifiers, and adjectives before the noun.
The language remains in development. Its parent language has not yet been established, and the current description records only areas of grammar that have been defined so far.
History and classification
Proto-Siyuric is currently recorded as the root of the Siyuric family. Its own parent language is unknown or undecided. Its directly registered descendant is Old Siyurian, which later develops into Siyurian.
Because the language is conceived as an ancestral stage, its forms are presented through scholarly transcription rather than a native written tradition.
Transcription and sound shape
No native Proto-Siyuric orthography is attested. The forms on this page use a Latin-based scholarly transcription. The symbols a₁ and a₂ distinguish two a-like vowels, approximately /ɑ/ and /æ/ respectively.
| Notation | Use |
|---|---|
| a₁ | An a-like vowel, approximately /ɑ/ |
| a₂ | An a-like vowel, approximately /æ/ |
| ∅ | A zero-marked morpheme in grammatical glosses |
| Small capitals | Grammatical categories in glosses, such as ᴅᴇᴍ, ꜱɢ, ɴꜱɢ, and ᴘʀᴇꜱ |
The documented syllable structure is CV(C). A consonantal coda is permitted only at the very end of a word.
Nouns
Number and animacy
Proto-Siyuric nouns distinguish singular from non-singular. The non-singular is the unmarked form and may be interpreted as plural, collective, or mass-like according to the noun and its context. Singular nouns take a suffix selected by animacy.
| Noun class | Singular suffix | Typical members |
|---|---|---|
| Animate (an.) | -a₁k | Entities that move, act, grow, or visibly change |
| Inanimate (in.) | -a₂k | Stationary or inert entities |
Animacy is primarily semantic. The sun, moon, sea, fire, wind, and rivers are treated as animate because they move or visibly change.
| Non-singular | Singular | Class | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| seX | seXa₁k | Animate | crabs · crab |
| siXul | siXula₂k | Inanimate | islands · island |
| nūXel | nūXela₂k | Inanimate | stones · stone |
Irregular nouns
Several nouns depart from the regular singular pattern or change noun class with number.
| Non-singular | Singular | Meaning | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| tēlet | tēlet | sea | Invariant for number |
| pa₁X (an.) | pa₂k (in.) | trees · tree | Changes form and animacy |
| pus (in.) | pus (an.) | teeth · tooth | Same form, different animacy |
Noun phrases
Noun phrases are head-final. Their fullest documented order is:
“this red crab”
A descriptive verbal phrase can occupy a modifier position before a noun. For example, ta₁meleta₁t seX means “fish-eating crab” or “crab that eats fish.” A more elaborate phrase, degīla₁k na₁t mev ta₁meleta₁t tuv lūv ta₁seX, means “the man’s three big red fish-eating crabs.”
Possession
Possession is marked on the possessed noun rather than the possessor. The possessor comes first, and the prefix ta₁- attaches to the possessed noun.
degīla₁k ta₁seXa₁k means “the man’s crab.” Before a stem that already begins in ta₁-, the possessive prefix surfaces as te-, preventing two identical ta₁ sequences: degīla₁k na₁t teta₁mela₁k, “the man’s fish.”
Pronouns
First- and second-person pronouns distinguish singular and non-singular number. Most also distinguish nominative and accusative case. Third-person forms additionally encode animacy.
| Person | Nominative | Accusative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | gēX | geX | I · me |
| 1st non-singular | gūs | gus | we · us |
| 2nd singular | vus | vūs | you |
| 2nd non-singular | bēs | y’all | |
| 3rd singular animate | ka₁Xa₁k | ka₁sa₁k | he or she · him or her |
| 3rd singular inanimate | ka₂Xa₂k | ka₂sa₂k | it |
| 3rd non-singular animate | ka₁X | ka₁s | they · them |
| 3rd non-singular inanimate | ka₂X | ka₂s | they · them |
Verbs and clauses
Finite tense
Verb roots do not normally stand alone as finite verbs. Present, past, and future tense are marked by prefixes attached to the root.
| Tense | Prefix | With ta₁t “eat” | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | te- | teta₁t | eats · is eating |
| Past | pi- | pita₁t | ate |
| Future | ku- | kuta₁t | will eat |
Verbal modifiers
A present-form verb can precede a noun as a modifier: teta₁t seXa₁k means “eating crab” or “crab that is eating.” When a noun and verb combine into a descriptive compound, the verb uses a bound modifier form without a tense prefix.
The compound then modifies another noun: ta₁meleta₁t lisela₁k, “fish-eating bird.” Forms such as ta₁melteta₁t and ta₁melpita₁t are not used for this construction because bound modifiers do not take tense prefixes.
Basic clauses
Finite verbs normally close the clause. The tense contrast can be seen without changing the subject–object–verb order:
| Proto-Siyuric | Translation |
|---|---|
| seXa₁k ta₁mel teta₁t | “The crab eats fish.” |
| seXa₁k ta₁mel pita₁t | “The crab ate fish.” |
| seXa₁k ta₁mel kuta₁t | “The crab will eat fish.” |
Negation
Main-clause negation uses the particle jin, placed after the finite verb. It does not attach to bound modifier forms.
“The crab does not eat fish.”
Replacing the tense prefix produces seXa₁k ta₁mel pita₁t jin, “the crab did not eat fish,” and seXa₁k ta₁mel kuta₁t jin, “the crab will not eat fish.”
Open areas
The documented grammar currently establishes core noun morphology, pronouns, tense, descriptive verb compounds, clause order, possession, and main-clause negation. Dedicated systems for general modifiers, adpositions and particles, questions, and additional syntax have not yet been described.
Forms on this page follow the project’s current scholarly transcription and may change as the phonology, historical development, and earlier ancestry of Proto-Siyuric are expanded.