protoTasaran

ProtoTasaran is the reconstructed proto-language of the Tasaran language family. It is identified through comparative methods by linguists who analyze regular sound correspondences, shared core vocabulary, and grammatical patterns among Tasaran languages. While reconstructions are tentative, most scholars place protoTasaran in the late Bronze Age to early Iron Age, roughly 1200–500 BCE, with a homeland in the Tasaran-speaking corridor of central regions where early communities dispersed into later branches.

Reconstruction of its phonology relies on regular correspondences across descendants. The proto-Tasaran consonant inventory is typically reconstructed as a modest set of stops, nasals, and a few fricatives such as s and h, with possible w and y. The vowel system is generally reconstructed as five vowels (a, e, i, o, u). Tone, if present, remains uncertain.

Grammatical structure is inferred as predominantly analytic with some affixal markers for possession and number. ProtoTasaran is thought to have had a basic pronoun system and demonstratives, with a core lexical field for family relations, body parts, natural elements, and common actions. Some reconstructed roots appear across multiple branches, supporting shared heritage, though exact morphology and word order vary and remain debated.

Descendant branches of protoTasaran gave rise to modern Tasaran languages. The reconstruction provides a framework for studying their diversification, historical contact, and migration patterns. Ongoing discoveries and methodological refinements continue to revise its phonology, lexicon, and grammar, and to test homeland scenarios.