forgotten languages

Pleistic and Holy speech

The oldest religion was Pleism, that is, the worship of a god called Ple. The liturgical language of the Pleists was Pleistic and had four chronodialects. Since the Boiling, pronouncing of the god's name became tabu and the following three chronodialects are simply called Holy speech:

Early Pleistic -2 572 000 .. -1 740 000
Old Pleistic -1 740 000 .. -780 000
Middle Pleistic -780 000 .. -130 000
Late Pleistic -130 000 .. -9 750
Old Holy speech -9 750 .. -6 800
Middle Holy speech -6 800 .. -4 200
New Holy speech -4 200 ..

Early Pleistic phonemes

EPle has only ten (or dozen) phonemes: four plosives k g q ŋ, one fricative h, two wowels a ā and three semivowels j w l. (The fricative h could occur only after a non-nasal plosive, thus instead of one fricative h we may count three aspirates kʰ gʰ qʰ.)

Early Pleistic syllabary

kaj kaw kāj kāw
gaj gaw gāj gāw
qaj qaw qāj qāw
ŋaj ŋaw
khajkhawkhalkhājkhāwkhāl
ghajghawghalghājghāwghāl
qhajqhawqhalqhājqhāwqhāl

Sound changes

Palatalized sounds are written either with acute above (ć ǵ ḉ) or with caron above the following vowel (ǐ ǎ).

Labialized sounds are written with ring above the following vowel (ů å).

  1. 1st reduction and shortening (a → ə; ā → a)
  2. 1st monophtongization (əj → i; əw → u)
  3. 1st palatalization and labialization (k g q → ć ǵ ḉ /_i; → k° g° q° /_u)
  4. deasibilization (ć ǵ ḉ → tˇ dˇ ţˇ)
  5. 1st lowering (i → e → a; u → o → a)
  6. 1st depalatalization develarization (tˇ dˇ ţˇ → t d ţ; k˚ g˚ q˚ → p b ')
  7. rhotacization (l → r)
  8. 2nd reduction (a → ə, ā → a)
  9. 2nd monophtongization (əj → i, əw → u)
  10. 2nd palatalization and labialization (k g q → ć ǵ ḉ /_i; → k° g° q° /_u)
  11. 2nd lowering (i → e → a; u → o → a)
  12. 2nd depalatalization and delabialization (ć ǵ ḉ → c z ç; k˚ g˚ q˚ → k g q)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
kaj kəj ki ći tǐ tǎ ta ta ta ta ta ta ta
kaw kəw ku ků ků kå pa pa pa pa pa pa pa
kāj kaj kaj kaj kaj kaj kaj kaj kəj ki ći ća ca
kāw kaw kaw kaw gaw kaw kaw kaw kəw ku ků ků ka
gaj gəj gi ǵi dǐ dǎ da da da da da da da
gaw gəw gu gů gů gå ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
gāj gaj gaj gaj gaj gaj gaj gaj gəj gi ǵi ǵa za
gāw gaw gaw gaw gaw gaw gaw gaw gəw gu gů gå ga
qaj qəj qi ḉi ţǐ ţǎ ţa ţa ţa ţa ţa ţa ţa
qaw qəw qu qů qů qå 'a 'a 'a 'a 'a 'a 'a
qaj qaj qaj qaj qaj qaj qaj qaj qəj qi ḉi ḉǎ ça
qāw qaw qaw qaw qaw qaw qaw qaw qəw qu qů qå qa
ŋaj ŋəj ŋi ŋi ŋǐ ŋǎ na na na na na na na
ŋaw ŋəw ŋu ŋů ŋů ŋå ma ma ma ma ma ma ma
khajkhəjkhi ćhi thǐ thǎ tha tha tha thathathatha
khawkhəwkhu khů khů khå pha pha pha phaphaphapha
khalkhəlkhļ khļ thļ thļ pha pha pha phaphaphasła
khājkhajkhajkhajkhajkhajkhajkhajkhəjkhićhićhaśa
khāwkhawkhawkhawghawkhawkhawkhawkhəwkhukhůkhůkha
khālkhalkhalkhalghalkhalkhalkharkhərkhŗķhŗķhŗķha
ghajghəjghi ǵhi dhǐ dhǎ dha dha dha dhadhadhadha
ghawghəwghu ghů ghů ghå bha bha bha bhabhabhabha
ghalghəlghļ ghů ghů ghå bha bha bha bhabhabhala
ghājghajghajghajghajghajghajghajghəjghiǵhiǵhaźa
ghāwghawghawghawghawghawghawghawghəwghughůghåwa
ghālghalghalghalghalghalghalghalghəlghughůghåla
qhajqhəjqhi ḉhi ţhǐ ţhǎ ţha ţha ţha ţhaţhaţhaţha
qhawqhəwqhu qhů qhů qhå 'ha 'ha 'ha 'ha'ha'ha'ha
qhalqhəlqhļ qhļ qhļ qhå 'ha 'ha 'ha 'ha'ha'haşła
qhajqhajqhajqhajqhajqhajqhajqhajqhəjqhiḉhiḉhǎća
qhāwqhawqhawqhawqhawqhawqhawqhawqhəwqhuqhůqhåqha
qhālqhalqhalqhalqhalqhalqhalqharqhərqhŗqhŗqhåra
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Late Pleistic syllabary

ta pa sa ka
da ba za ga
ţa 'a ca qa
na ma
tha(fa)łsaśa ḫa ḩa
dhawa la ja ğa ģa
ţha'ha łça(ća) ra

Appendices

Ple

The god Ple was a personification of full moon, and his sister was a personification of "empty" moon.

In Gëdih language is called Palhų or Malëų.

 

other forgotten languages