Proto-Ka language

Proto-Ka (Proto-Ka: *Nùkos ), also known as Ancient Ka, is the the reconstructed common ancestor of the Ka languages spoken in the Socoan Mesopotamia of the Sáikók desert. It was spoken from around 1000 BIA to 200 AIA.

Consonants

 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

! colspan=2 | ! Bilabial ! Alveolar ! Palatal ! Velar ! colspan=2 | Nasal ! rowspan=2 | Stop ! voiceless ! voiced ! rowspan=2 | Fricative ! voiceless ! voiced ! colspan=2 | Approximant ! colspan=2 | Trill
 * + Consonant phonemes of Proto-Ka
 * m || n || || ŋ*
 * || t || || k
 * b || d* || || ɡ*
 * || s || ||
 * || z || ||
 * || || j || w
 * || r || ||
 * }

* Only occurs rhematic (focus) prothesis.

Vowels

 * }
 * }

Stress
Stress is phonemic, marked in the romanisation with a grave accent.

Grammar
Proto-Ka is an extremely agglutinative language.

Nouns
Nouns in Proto-Ka are declined for topic and focus, case and number.

Topic and focus

 * *-t(o)- — consonantal topic noun root
 * *-z(ù)- — consonantal focus noun root


 * *-o- — vocalic topic noun root
 * *-ù- — vocalic focus noun root

Number
Proto-Ka has four numbers, distinguished in nouns and pronouns: singular, dual, plural and collective.


 * *-∅ — singular
 * *-ez — dual
 * *-uz — plural
 * root reduplication + *-uz — collective

Pronouns
Pronouns in Proto-Ka are formed regularly with topic and focus, person, case and number.

Topic and focus

 * *na- — topic root
 * *ta- — focus root

Person

 * *-u- — first-person root
 * *-i- — second-person root
 * *-∅- — third-person root

Number

 * *-s — singular
 * *-∅ — dual
 * *-z — plural
 * *-wù — collective

Verbs
Verbs are conjugated for tense, aspect and topic and focus. The conjugations differ if the root ends in a consonant or a vowel. Verbs that end in a vowel have the first syllable reduplicated in the continuous aspect.

Passive
The passive is formed with the prefix *mù-. For example:


 * *Kùtosuz zamandèi.— The dogs will kill.
 * *Kùtosuz mùzamandèi. — The dogs will be killed.

Causative
The causative is formed with the prefix *za-.

Example sentences
*Kàtos kunguiàz.
 * The person works.

*Kàtos kungukuiàz.
 * The person is working.

*Kàtos kukuiàz mandè.
 * The person that is working will die.

*Kàtos zamatà mukungukuiàn.
 * The person that kills will be forced to work.

*Kùtosez zamandùi kùkùzuz.
 * The two dogs were killing all the other dogs.

*Kàkàtosuz kukuiàs.
 * The people will work.

*Nautus zabàngài taindè.
 * I'm cooking for you two.