Proto-Eskimoan language
Reconstructed ancestor of the Eskimo languages
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Proto-Eskimoan, Proto-Eskimo, or Proto-Inuit-Yupik, is the reconstructed ancestor of the Eskimo languages.[1] It was spoken by the ancestors of the Yupik and Inuit peoples. It is linguistically related to the Aleut language, and both descend from the Proto-Eskaleut language.[2]
ancestor
- Proto-Inuit
- Proto-Yupik
| Proto-Eskimoan | |
|---|---|
| Proto-Eskimo, Proto-Inuit-Yupik | |
| Reconstruction of | Eskimo languages |
| Era | by ca. 2000 BCE |
Reconstructed ancestor | |
| Lower-order reconstructions |
|
Comparative studies of Eskimo and Aleut languages suggest that the Proto-Eskimoan and Proto-Aleut languages diverged between 4000 and 2000 BCE.[3][4]
Phonology
According to the International Encyclopedia of Linguistics, "Eskimo languages show variation primarily in their phonology and lexicon, rather than in syntax." In addition, "Proto-Eskimo had four vowels */i a u ə/, but few or none of the long vowels or diphthongs found in the modern languages."[5]
See also
