ProtoNoric

ProtoNoric is a hypothetical protolanguage posited as the common ancestor of the Noric languages, a fictional or speculative branch used in linguistic reconstruction and worldbuilding. It is not directly attested; reconstructions rely on comparing attested Noric languages to infer shared features and ancestry.

The term ProtoNoric combines the prefix Proto- with Noric, the latter referring to the assumed Noric lineage. The classification is theoretical and varies among scholars or writers, reflecting different reconstruction choices and data sets.

Phonology proposed for ProtoNoric typically includes a modest inventory of stops such as p, t, k; nasals m, n; liquids l, r; and glides w, y, with a vowel system of five vowels a, e, i, o, u. Some analyses allow vowel length or other features, but the precise inventory remains debated among researchers.

Grammar and syntax are reconstructed as synthetic and fusional, with a likely subject–object–verb order for some descendants and an explicit case system on nouns (for example nominative, accusative, genitive) to mark grammatical function. Verbs are believed to encode tense, aspect, mood, and person through affixation, with some degree of subject agreement in certain descendants. The pronoun system is typically simple, with distinct forms for first, second, and third person.

Lexicon and exemplars include core vocabulary for kinship terms, body parts, natural phenomena, and basic numerals. Cross-linguistic correspondences observed among the hypothetical Noric languages underpin proposed ProtoNoric roots, though exact forms remain hypothetical.

Status and use: ProtoNoric remains a debated construct, primarily employed in academic discussions of comparative linguistics or as a fictional device in worldbuilding. It serves to illustrate how language families might emerge through shared innovations and sound changes.