protoSujuviin

protoSujuviin is the reconstructed ancestral language of the Sujuviin language family. It represents the hypothesized common source of its extant and extinct descendants. Like other proto-languages, protoSujuviin is not directly attested; its features are inferred from systematic correspondences among the Sujuviin languages using the comparative method.

Scholars place the speakers in a broad central region associated with the historic Sujuviin homeland. The dating is tentative, often placed in the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age, roughly between 3000 and 1500 BCE, but estimates vary with the subgroup.

Phonological reconstruction suggests a relatively small consonant inventory, including stops p, t, k and a small set of fricatives, plus nasals m and n, and a glottal stop in some dialects. The vowel system is typically described as five vowels, with limited vowel harmony or phonotactic constraints. Syllable structure is generally open CV or CVC in roots.

ProtoSujuviin is reconstructed as mainly a subject–object–verb (SOV) language with suffixal morphology and moderately rich case marking. Nominative-accusative alignment appears in the pronominal system, while verbal inflection encodes tense, aspect, mood, and evidentiality. Possessors attach as prenominal adjectives or through possessed suffixes, and pluralization often relies on plural markers on nouns and verbs.

Core lexicon includes terms for family, natural features, and basic actions, showing regular sound correspondences across descendant languages. The reconstruction helps explain historical changes, contact with neighboring language groups, and the divergence patterns within the Sujuviin family.

Reconstructions of protoSujuviin are debated; some scholars advocate alternative subgroupings or question the coherence of a single proto-language for all Sujuviin branches.