ProtoMeridic

ProtoMeridic is the reconstructed ancestral language of the Meridian language family, a hypothetical proto-language posited by historical linguists to explain shared phonology and basic vocabulary among related Meridian languages in the Meridian Basin. Based on comparative method, it is dated to the late Bronze Age, with estimates roughly in the 1800–1200 BCE range, though precise timing remains uncertain.

The name derives from the Meridian corridor, and ProtoMeridic is used to denote the common ancestor of several languages in the Meridian group, spoken in a broad river valley and coastal zones of the region. Its existence is inferred from regular sound correspondences and cognate sets observed across daughter languages, rather than from extensive primary texts.

Phonology likely featured a consonant inventory including p, t, k, b, d, g, m, n, s, l, r and a glottal stop, together with five vowels /a e i o u/. Syllables were typically open, CV or CVc, and stress probably fell on the first syllable. The phonotactics of ProtoMeridic would have permitted limited consonant clusters and simple vowel sequences, with some lenition in internal syllables in later branches.

Morphology and syntax are reconstructed as predominantly agglutinative, with suffixal markings for number, tense, mood, and case. The basic clause order is reconstructed as subject–object–verb (SOV), and nouns received case endings via suffixes; postpositions were likely used rather than prepositions. Verbs encoded tense and aspect through affixes, with additional markers for voice or mood.

The reconstruction includes a small core lexicon, with reconstructions for terms such as water, sun, two, and mother, supporting regular correspondences to daughter languages. However, ProtoMeridic remains debated: evidence is limited, and some scholars favor a more reticulate origin or a sprachbund for the Meridian languages.