Volasic languages

The Volasic languages are a language family of the Old Continent.

Name
The Volasic languages derive their name from the Chelyran word Volasē, referring to the legendary ancestors of the Chelyrans. Not only the Chelyrans but also other Volasic peoples claim descent from a people with a similar name; for example, the Velocho people claim to descend from the Volasi. The reconstructed name of the Volasē in Proto-Volasic is *ɣolaseje.

Divisions
The Volasic language family contains several subfamilies, which are grouped based on geography and various isoglosses or sound changes shared in common.

Zero grades
One isogloss is the handling of Proto-Volasic zero-grades, i.e. roots containing vocalic liquids, /r̩/ and /l̩/, and the "obscure vowel" /ə/. In some languages, such as the Chelyraic languages, the vocalic liquids develop into /ar/ and /al/, and /ə/ develops into /a/. In others, reflexes with /ɨ/ appear for vocalic liquids instead of /a/, with /ə/ developing into /a/. At least one language has been noted to have retained vocalic liquids and /ə/.

Velar fricatives
In Chelyran, the velar fricatives /x/ and /ɣ/ developed into /f/ and /v/ before a vowel. Before a liquid, they simply dropped. Root-finally, they drop but lengthen the preceding vowel if there is one: Proto-Volasic *nax > Chelyran *naː-. If the fricative appears after a liquid, it lengthens the vowel before the liquid prior to dropping: Proto-Volasic *ml̩ɣ- > Pre-Chelyran *malɣ- > Chelyran maːl-.

In other Volasic languages, the velar fricatives drop completely, with the exception that the clusters /xl/ and /ɣl/ produce /ɬ/ and /ɮ/, respectively. In some languages experiencing this development, /xr/ and /ɣr/ became /χ/ and /ʁ/, respectively.

Yet other Volasic languages retained /x/ and /ɣ/.