Eventide

The tongues

Follow a word from its oldest form to the Rákva of the first kingdoms.

The northern line begins with Proto-Ahéric and passes through Proto-Tū́glemća, Old Tū́glemća and Old Rákva to Classical Rákva, from −9,000 to −2,400 on the chronology of the northern kingdoms. Each stage is a set of sound laws applied in a fixed order; none of it is written by hand. Choose a word, then call up the laws one at a time.

Choose a word

wolf

From the root reg-

  1. Proto-Ahéric

    régiḥ

  2. Proto-Tū́glemća, −9,000 – −6,000

    T3 · The great shift

    rékiḥ

    bʰ dʰ gʰ ǵʰ gʷʰ > b d g ǵ gʷ; b d g ǵ gʷ > p t k ć kʷ; p t k ḱ kʷ > f θ x ś xʷ, except after a consonant, where ḱ is ć.

  3. Old Tū́glemća, −6,000 – −3,500

    T4 · Loss of the laryngeals

    réki

    ḥ and ʔ are lost; a voiced stop before ḥ is first made voiceless.

  4. Old Rákva, −3,500 – −2,860

    R2 · The a-merger

    ráki

    Short e and o fall together as a; long ē ō stand.

The word at the close of each stage

  1. Proto-Ahéricrégiḥ
  2. Proto-Tū́glemćarékiḥ
  3. Old Tū́glemćaréki
  4. Old Rákvaráki
  5. Classical Rákvaráki

fire

From the root rebʰ-

  1. Proto-Ahéric

    rébʰuḥ

  2. Proto-Tū́glemća, −9,000 – −6,000

    T3 · The great shift

    rébuḥ

    bʰ dʰ gʰ ǵʰ gʷʰ > b d g ǵ gʷ; b d g ǵ gʷ > p t k ć kʷ; p t k ḱ kʷ > f θ x ś xʷ, except after a consonant, where ḱ is ć.

  3. Old Tū́glemća, −6,000 – −3,500

    T4 · Loss of the laryngeals

    rébu

    ḥ and ʔ are lost; a voiced stop before ḥ is first made voiceless.

  4. Old Rákva, −3,500 – −2,860

    R2 · The a-merger

    rábu

    Short e and o fall together as a; long ē ō stand.

The word at the close of each stage

  1. Proto-Ahéricrébʰuḥ
  2. Proto-Tū́glemćarébuḥ
  3. Old Tū́glemćarébu
  4. Old Rákvarábu
  5. Classical Rákvarábu

stone

From the root yel-

  1. Proto-Ahéric

    yéluḥ

  2. Old Tū́glemća, −6,000 – −3,500

    T4 · Loss of the laryngeals

    yélu

    ḥ and ʔ are lost; a voiced stop before ḥ is first made voiceless.

  3. Old Rákva, −3,500 – −2,860

    R2 · The a-merger

    yálu

    Short e and o fall together as a; long ē ō stand.

The word at the close of each stage

  1. Proto-Ahéricyéluḥ
  2. Proto-Tū́glemćayéluḥ
  3. Old Tū́glemćayélu
  4. Old Rákvayálu
  5. Classical Rákvayálu

horse

From the root gʷʰlen-

  1. Proto-Ahéric

    gʷʰléniḥ

  2. Proto-Tū́glemća, −9,000 – −6,000

    T3 · The great shift

    gʷléniḥ

    bʰ dʰ gʰ ǵʰ gʷʰ > b d g ǵ gʷ; b d g ǵ gʷ > p t k ć kʷ; p t k ḱ kʷ > f θ x ś xʷ, except after a consonant, where ḱ is ć.

  3. Old Tū́glemća, −6,000 – −3,500

    T4 · Loss of the laryngeals

    gʷléni

    ḥ and ʔ are lost; a voiced stop before ḥ is first made voiceless.

  4. T7 · The labiovelars resolve

    gléni

    Before a vowel kʷ gʷ hʷ become kw gw hw; elsewhere they lose their rounding.

  5. Old Rákva, −3,500 – −2,860

    R2 · The a-merger

    gláni

    Short e and o fall together as a; long ē ō stand.

The word at the close of each stage

  1. Proto-Ahéricgʷʰléniḥ
  2. Proto-Tū́glemćagʷléniḥ
  3. Old Tū́glemćagléni
  4. Old Rákvagláni
  5. Classical Rákvagláni

king

From the root step-

  1. Proto-Ahéric

    stépṇ

  2. Proto-Tū́glemća, −9,000 – −6,000

    T2 · The syllabic resonants

    stépn

    ṛ ḷ ṃ ṇ become ar al am an; before a vowel they are consonants.

  3. T3 · The great shift

    stéfn

    bʰ dʰ gʰ ǵʰ gʷʰ > b d g ǵ gʷ; b d g ǵ gʷ > p t k ć kʷ; p t k ḱ kʷ > f θ x ś xʷ, except after a consonant, where ḱ is ć.

  4. Old Rákva, −3,500 – −2,860

    R2 · The a-merger

    stáfn

    Short e and o fall together as a; long ē ō stand.

  5. Classical Rákva, −2,860 – −2,400

    R9 · Final n

    stáf

    A word-final n is lost.

The word at the close of each stage

  1. Proto-Ahéricstépṇ
  2. Proto-Tū́glemćastéfn
  3. Old Tū́glemćastéfn
  4. Old Rákvastáfn
  5. Classical Rákvastáf

word

From the root tenw-

  1. Proto-Ahéric

    ténwmor

  2. Proto-Tū́glemća, −9,000 – −6,000

    T1 · Assibilation

    sénwmor

    t becomes s before a front vowel or y.

  3. Old Rákva, −3,500 – −2,860

    R2 · The a-merger

    sánwmar

    Short e and o fall together as a; long ē ō stand.

The word at the close of each stage

  1. Proto-Ahéricténwmor
  2. Proto-Tū́glemćasénwmor
  3. Old Tū́glemćasénwmor
  4. Old Rákvasánwmar
  5. Classical Rákvasánwmar

water

From the root wen-

  1. Proto-Ahéric

    wénuḥ

  2. Old Tū́glemća, −6,000 – −3,500

    T4 · Loss of the laryngeals

    wénu

    ḥ and ʔ are lost; a voiced stop before ḥ is first made voiceless.

  3. Old Rákva, −3,500 – −2,860

    R2 · The a-merger

    wánu

    Short e and o fall together as a; long ē ō stand.

  4. Classical Rákva, −2,860 – −2,400

    R8 · w becomes v

    vánu

    w > v before a vowel or y, after any consonant too; lost before u.

The word at the close of each stage

  1. Proto-Ahéricwénuḥ
  2. Proto-Tū́glemćawénuḥ
  3. Old Tū́glemćawénu
  4. Old Rákvawánu
  5. Classical Rákvavánu

god

From the root bʰemk-

  1. Proto-Ahéric

    bʰémkṇ

  2. Proto-Tū́glemća, −9,000 – −6,000

    T2 · The syllabic resonants

    bhémkn

    ṛ ḷ ṃ ṇ become ar al am an; before a vowel they are consonants.

  3. T3 · The great shift

    bémkn

    bʰ dʰ gʰ ǵʰ gʷʰ > b d g ǵ gʷ; b d g ǵ gʷ > p t k ć kʷ; p t k ḱ kʷ > f θ x ś xʷ, except after a consonant, where ḱ is ć.

  4. Old Rákva, −3,500 – −2,860

    R2 · The a-merger

    bámkn

    Short e and o fall together as a; long ē ō stand.

  5. Classical Rákva, −2,860 – −2,400

    R9 · Final n

    bámk

    A word-final n is lost.

The word at the close of each stage

  1. Proto-Ahéricbʰémkṇ
  2. Proto-Tū́glemćabémkn
  3. Old Tū́glemćabémkn
  4. Old Rákvabámkn
  5. Classical Rákvabámk

The forms are produced by the engine that built the language volumes. Aspirates and labiovelars are written in the traditional manner (bʰ, gʷ), and stress is marked with an acute. The words are a small selection from a lexicon of 387 senses.