Proto-Ampayrù language

Phonology:

p~ⁿp t̪~ⁿt̪ ʈ~ⁿʈ c~ⁿc k~ⁿk ʔ

p͡ɸ~ⁿp͡ɸ t̪͡s~ⁿt̪͡s ʈ͡ʂ~ⁿʈ͡ʂ c͡ç~ⁿc͡ç k͡x~ⁿk͡x

ɸ s̪ ʂ ç x ħ

m n̪ ɳ ɲ ŋ

l r̪

t̪͡ɬ~ⁿt̪͡ɬ ʈ͡ɭ̝~ⁿʈ͡ɭ̝ c͡ʎ~ⁿc͡ʎ k͡ʟ~ⁿk͡ʟ

β̝ j

i i ɨ u

ɘ ɵ

ɛ ɔ

ä

Prenasalized consonants are existing only in intervocalic position.

Phonotactics:

(C)(G)V(G/ʔ)

Accent:

Breathy voiced stress on second syllable. Monosyllabic words don't have stress.

Tones:

Neutral, High, Low, Rising, Falling. Tones have distinctive role in lexicon.

Nouns:

(1. Subject = Absolutive, Agent = Nominative, Patient = Absolutive, 2. Subject = Nominative, Agent = Nominative, Patient = Accusative)
 * split-ergative alignment: ergative-absolutive in past tenses, nominative-accusative in non-pasts.
 * indirective ditransitive alignment (Donor = Pegative, Recipient = Dative, Theme = Accusative)
 * seven cases (suffixes): Nominative, Accusative, Absolutive, Pegative, Dative, Genitive, Ablative, Locative-Instrumental.
 * number only by independent or clitic particle.
 * possessor (preffixes).
 * class system: human (divided into feminine and masculine) vs non-human (strong and weak)

Verbs:


 * double aspectual distinction: completive vs incompletive and intentional vs unintentional.
 * remote past, recent past, present ~ habitual, recent future, remote future, conditional.
 * four voices: active, reflexive, causative, reflexive-causative.
 * evidentiality: visual sensory, nonvisual sensory, inferential.
 * moods expressed by modal verbs.
 * subject marked by independent postpositional pronoun.
 * pronominal object cliticized to subjective pronoun.
 * interrogative and negative preffixes

Pronouns:


 * plural form created by clitic particle added to singular pronominal stem.
 * exclusive and inclusive forms in 1. and 2. plural persons.

Syntax:

- SOV