Proto-Indo-European language
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| + | The '''Proto-Indo-European language''' ('''PIE''') is the unattested, [[linguistic reconstruction|reconstructed]] common ancestor of the [[Indo-European languages]], spoken by the [[Proto-Indo-Europeans]]. The existence of such a language has been accepted by linguists for over a century, and there have been many attempts at reconstruction. Nevertheless, many disagreements and uncertainties remain. | ||
| + | ==Sample texts== | ||
| - | In Greek myth, '''Chaos''' (''Xάος'') or '''Khaos''' is the first of the [[Protogenoi]] and the god of the air. Later on Chaos was described as an original state of existence from which the first gods appeared. In other words, the dark void of space. It is made from a mixture of what the [[Ancient Greeks]] considered the [[Classical element|four elements]]: earth, air, water and fire. For example, when a log is burned, the flames were attributed to the fire in it, the smoke the air in it, the water and grease that come from it were supposed to be the water, and the ashes left over were the earth. In [[Greek language|Greek]] it is ''Χάος,'' which in ancient Greek was {{pron|ˈkʰa.os}}. It means "gaping void", from the verb χαίνω "gape, be wide open, etc", [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] *"ghen-", *"ghn-"; compare English "chasm" and "yawn", [[Old English language|Old English]] ''geanian'' = "to gape". | + | As PIE was conjectured to be spoken by a prehistoric society, no genuine sample texts are available, but since the 19th century modern scholars have made various attempts to compose example texts for purposes of illustration. These texts are educated guesses at best; [[Calvert Watkins]] in 1969 observes that in spite of its 150 years' history, comparative linguistics is not in the position to reconstruct a single well-formed sentence in PIE. Because of this and other similar objections based on [[Pratishakyas]], such texts are of limited use in getting an impression of what a coherent utterance in PIE might have sounded like. |
| - | [[Ovid]], in his ''[[Metamorphoses (poem)|Metamorphoses]]'', described Chaos as "rather a crude and indigested mass, a lifeless lump, unfashioned and unframed, of jarring seeds and justly Chaos named". From that, its meaning evolved into the modern familiar "complete disorder". | + | Published PIE sample texts: |
| + | * [[Schleicher's fable]] (''Avis akvasas ka'') by [[August Schleicher]] (1868), modernized by [[Hermann Hirt]] (1939) and [[Winfred Lehmann]] and [[Ladislav Zgusta]] (1979) | ||
| + | * [[The king and the god]] (''rēḱs deiwos-kʷe'') by S. K. Sen, E. P. Hamp et al. (1994) | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | * [[Pie]] | ||
| + | * [[Indo-European languages]] | ||
| + | *[[Proto-Indo-European root ]] | ||
| + | * [[Indo-European vocabulary]] | ||
| + | * [[Laryngeal theory]] | ||
| + | * [[Schleicher's fable]] | ||
| - | Chaos features three main characteristics: | ||
| - | *it is a bottomless gulf where anything falls endlessly. This radically contrasts with the Earth that emerges from it to offer a stable ground. | ||
| - | *it is a place without any possible orientation, where anything falls in every direction. | ||
| - | *it is a space that separates, that divides: after the Earth and the Sky parted, Chaos remains between both of them. | ||
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The Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the unattested, reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans. The existence of such a language has been accepted by linguists for over a century, and there have been many attempts at reconstruction. Nevertheless, many disagreements and uncertainties remain.
Sample texts
As PIE was conjectured to be spoken by a prehistoric society, no genuine sample texts are available, but since the 19th century modern scholars have made various attempts to compose example texts for purposes of illustration. These texts are educated guesses at best; Calvert Watkins in 1969 observes that in spite of its 150 years' history, comparative linguistics is not in the position to reconstruct a single well-formed sentence in PIE. Because of this and other similar objections based on Pratishakyas, such texts are of limited use in getting an impression of what a coherent utterance in PIE might have sounded like.
Published PIE sample texts:
- Schleicher's fable (Avis akvasas ka) by August Schleicher (1868), modernized by Hermann Hirt (1939) and Winfred Lehmann and Ladislav Zgusta (1979)
- The king and the god (rēḱs deiwos-kʷe) by S. K. Sen, E. P. Hamp et al. (1994)
See also
- Pie
- Indo-European languages
- Proto-Indo-European root
- Indo-European vocabulary
- Laryngeal theory
- Schleicher's fable
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Proto-Indo-European language" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
