Proto-Romance is the result of applying the comparative method to reconstruct the latest common ancestor of the Romance languages. The closest real-life counterpart to Proto-Romance would have been a colloquial variety of Late Latin sometimes referred to as Vulgar Latin.
Phonology
Vowels
Monophthongs FrontCentralBackCloseNear-closeClose-midOpen-midOpen
Diphthong appears to be the only phonemic diphthong that can be reconstructed.;
Phonetics Vowels were lengthened in stressed open syllables.; Stressed may have yielded incipient diphthongs like in metaphonic conditions. Metaphony, if it can be projected back to Proto-Romance, may have initially been limited to open syllables. That is, it would have targeted allophonically lengthened .
Constraints did not occur in unstressed position.; did not occur in the second syllable of words with the structure ˌσσˈσσ.
Consonants +LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarNasalnPlosivevoicelesstvoiceddFricativevoicelesssvoicedApproximant()()Lateral approximantTrill
Palatalized consonants
There is scholarly disagreement over whether palatalization was phonemic in Proto-Romance. Palatalized consonants tended to geminate between vowels. The extent of this varied by consonant.; ; ; would have been an affricate like or .
Phonetics in word-initial position was assigned a prop-vowel [ɪ], as in .; was likely at first, with later developments varying by region.; apud ; might have been fricatives or approximants between vowels. might have been retroflex. might have been bilabial.
Constraints did not occur in intervocalic position.
Morphology The forms below are spelt as they are in the cited sources, either in Latin style or in phonetic notation. The latter may not always agree with the phonology given above.
Nouns Nouns are reconstructed as having three cases: a nominative, an accusative, and a genitive-dative: Type-a (f)-o (m)-C (m)-C (f)NumberSGPLSGPLSGPLSGPLNOMcapracaprascaballuscaballifraterfratres/-inoctisnoctesACCcaballucaballosfratrefratresnocteGEN-DATcapraecapriscaballocaballisfratrifratrisnoctinoctisGloss‘goat’‘horse’‘brother’‘night’ Some nouns of the –C type had inflections with alternating stress or syllable count: Type-C (m)-C (f)NumberSGPLSGPLNOMhómohómines/-imúliermuliéresACChóminehóminesmuliéreGEN-DAThóminihóminismuliérimuliérisGloss‘man’‘woman’ There were also ‘neuter’ nouns. In the singular they would have been treated as masculine and in the plural as feminine, often with a collective sense. Type-o (n)-C (n)NumberSGPLSGPLNOMbracchiubracchiacorpuscorporaACCGEN-DATbracchiobracchiiscorporicorporisGloss‘arm’‘body’
Adjectives
Positive +Type-o/-aGenderMFMFNumberSGPLSGPLSGPLSGPLNOMbonusbonibonabonasvirdisvirdes/-ivirdisvirdesACCbonubonosvirdevirdesvirdeGEN-DATbonobonisbonaebonisvirdivirdisvirdivirdisGloss‘good’‘green’
Comparative For the most part, the typical way to form a comparative would have been to add magis or plus (‘more’) to a positive adjective. A few words can be reconstructed as having a comparative ending -ior, which would have been inflected as follows: NumberSGGenderM or FNNOMméliorméliusACCmelióreGloss‘better’ Superlative Superlatives would have been formed by adding definite articles to comparatives.
Pronouns
Personal
Tonic The stressed or 'strong' forms: Person12NumberSGPLSGPLNOMegonostuvosACCme/menete/teneDATmi/mibinobisti/tibivobis Person3 (m)3 (f)NumberSGPLSGPLNOMille/illi/ipseilli/ipsiilla/ipsaillas/ipsasACCillu/ipsuillos/ipsos(GEN-)DATillui/ipsuiilloru/ipsoruillaei/ipsaeiilloru/ipsoru
Atonic The unstressed or 'weak' forms: Person123 (m)3 (f)NumberSGPLSGPLSGPLSGPLACCmenostevosluloslalasDATmitīlilislilis
Interrogative/relative As follows: GenderM or FNNOMquiquid (/quod?)ACCquemDATcui– Verbs Present +Verb class1P2P3PInfinitiveSGPLSGPLSGPLIkántokantámųskántaskantátįskántatkántantkantáreIIadǫ́rm(j)odormímųsdǫ́rmįsdormítįsdǫ́rmįtdǫ́rmųnt/-entdormíreIIbflorésko/-í-florímųsfloréskįs/-í-florítįsfloréskįt/-í-floréskųnt/-í-floríreIIIawį́dd’owįdémųswį́deswįdétįswį́detwį́dųnt/-ent (wį́dd’ųnt)wįdéreIIIbwę́ndowę́ndįmųswę́ndįswę́ndįtįswę́ndįtwę́ndųnt/-entwę́ndereIrregulardáodámųsdásdátįsdátdánt/dáųnt/dáentdáreábjo/ájjoabémųsáes/ásabétįsáet/átánt/áųnt/áentabére
Preterite +Verb class1P2P3PInfinitiveSGPLSGPLSGPLIkantájkantámmųskantástikantástįskantáwt/-átkantárųntkantáreIIadormíjdormímmųsdormístidormístįsdormíwt/-ítdormírųntdormíreIIIbbattę́jbattę́mmųsbattę́sti battę́stįsbattę́wt/-ę́tbattę́rųntbáttereIrregularfékifékįmųs/-kį́mm-fekį́stifekį́stįsfékįtfékerųnt/-ér-fákeredíksidíksįmųs/-kį́mm-dikį́stidikį́stįsdíksįtdíkserųntdíkere
Participles +Verb ClasspresentpreteriteIkantántekantátųIIdormę́ntedormítųIIIwendę́nte(wę́ndįtų/-útų)
See also Phonological changes from Classical Latin to Proto-Romance
Notes
References
Bibliography
Original in German: