Introduction to the 'Laryngeal Theory'

155 Pages·1987·4.18 MB·English

by  Fredrik Otto Lindeman

Fredrik Otto Lindeman
Introduction to
the ‘Laryngeal Theory’
The Institute
for Comparative Research
in Human Culture
Oslo
Instituttet for
sammenlignende
kulturforskning
Serie B: Skrifter
LXXIV
Fredrik Otto Lindeman
Introduction to the ‘Laryngeal Theory’
Fredrik Otto Lindeman
Introduction to
the ‘Laryngeal Theory’
Norwegian N p
University Press LJ:
The Institute for
Comparative Research
in Human Culture
Norwegian University Press (Universitetsforlaget AS), 0608 Oslo 6
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© The Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture 1987
This book is a revised version of the author’s Einführung in die Laryngaltheorie, Walter de
Gruyter, Berlin 1970 (Sammlung Göschen Bd. 1247/1247A)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Lindeman, Fredrik Otto
Introduction to the ‘Laryngeal Theory’.
1. Proto-Indo-European language—Laryngeals
I. Title
414 P572
ISBN 82-00-18459-5
ISBN 82-00-02628-0 Pbk
Printed in Denmark
by P. J. Schmidt A/S, Vojens
Contents
Preface ......................................................................................... 7
Abbreviations............................................................................. 9
Note on the Use of Symbols............................................. 17
I General observations on the ‘Laryngeal Theory’ ... 19
§1-3 Introduction......................................................... 19
§4-9 Main features of the ‘Laryngeal Theory’ .......... 21
§10-14 Ferdinand de Saussure ..................................... 24
II On the necessity of recognizing the actual existence
of ‘laryngeals’ in Early-Indo-European . ................. 29
§15-19 The ablaut of the disyllabic or ‘heavy’ bases 29
§20-22 Hittite h ................................................................ 32
III ‘Laryngeal’ reflexes found in the various IE. lan­
guages .................................................................................. 35
§23 Preliminary remark .................................................. 35
§24-32 ‘Laryngeals’ initially in the position before a
following syllabic sound .................................................. 36
§ 33-36 ‘Laryngeals’ in internal position between syl­
labic sounds ........................................................................ 44
§37 ‘Laryngeals’ in the position after a non-syllabic
and before a syllabic sound....................................... 48
§38-46 ‘Laryngeals’ in the position after a full grade
vowel and before a non-syllabic sound (or in word-
final position)................................................................ 50
§47-51 ‘Laryngeals’ in the position after a syllabic
resonant and before a non-syllabic sound (or in word-
final position)................................................................ 59
§ 52-54 ‘Laryngeal’ metathesis.................................. 65
§55-59 Assimilation of a ‘laryngeal’ and *y or *w . 67
§ 60-65 The ‘natural’ long diphthongs of Indo-Euro­
pean ...................................................................................... 71
§66-70 Prothetic vowels in Greek and Armenian . . 75
§71-72 The Balto-Slavic intonations........................... 86
§73-75 The voiceless aspirates of Indo-Iranian .... 88
§76-77 On some mediae aspiratae in Indo-Iranian . 91
§78-83 ‘Hardening’ of certain ‘laryngeals’ to k or g 94
§ 84-88 ‘Laryngeals’ in the position between non-syl-
labics .................................................................................... 98
IV Phonology and ‘laryngeals’ ............................................. 107
§ 89-95 On the phonemic status of the‘laryngeals’ . 107
§96-103 Conclusions ....................................................... 114
Select Bibliography............................................... 121
Index verborum ........................................................................ 131
Index nominum ........................................................................ 153
Preface
This book is a revised edition of my previous work Einführung
in die Laryngaltheorie, Berlin 1970; much new material has been
added and some passages from the first edition have been
removed.
The ‘Laryngeal Theory’ is a powerful tool which is in constant
use in the field of Indo-European studies. The theory, however,
appears in many forms which occasionally may be mutually
conflicting. Students of our discipline may therefore have diffi­
culties in finding their way through this diversity. It is my hope
that the present edition can be of some help in this respect.
The presentation will necessarily be dominated by my per­
sonal views on the ‘Laryngeal Theory’, but I have tried to
consider diverging views and hypotheses with an objective and
critical mind. Some suggestions which I have found of little
value, have been left out of my discussion. The word ‘laryngeal’
always appears between inverted commas when referring to
the Indo-European ‘laryngeals’ whose phonetic nature is yet
unknown.
A special word of thanks to my colleague and friend Harald
Bjorvand, who has gone through much of the new text and
given me valuable pedagogical advice. Above all I am indebted
to Professor Erich Neu (Ruhr-Universität-Bochum) for his en­
couragement and valuable assistance with the Anatolian ma­
terial.
My manuscript was completed in March 1987.
Fredrik Otto Lindeman

Abbreviations
AAL = Annual of Armenian Linguistics
ActOr = Acta Orientalia
AION Sezione Linguistica = Annali dell’Istituto Orientale di
Napoli. Sezione Linguistica
Anttila, Schwebeablaut — Raimo Anttila, Proto-Indo-European
Schwebeablaut, (University of California Publications
Linguistics 58), 1969
AO = Archiv Orientâlni
ArchLing = Archivum Linguisticum
BBCS = The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies. University
of Wales
Beekes, Development = R. S. P. Beekes, The Development of the
Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Greek, (Janua Linguarum
Studia Memoriae Nicolai Van Wijk Dedicata, Series Practica
42), 1969
Benveniste, HI — Émile Benveniste, Hittite et indo-européen,
Paris 1962
Benveniste, Origines = Émile Benveniste, Origines de la forma­
tion des noms en indo-européen, Paris, 1935
BiOr = Bibliotheca Orientalis
Bono homini donum = Bono homini donum. Essays in Historical
Linguistics in Memory of J. Alexander Kerns, 1981
Brugmann, Grdr = Karl Brugmann and Berthold Delbrück,
Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik der indogermanischen
Sprachen, 2. Auflage, Strassburg, 1897-1916
BSL = Bulletin de la Société de linguistique de Paris
BSOAS = Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies,
London
Chantraine, Dictionnaire = Pierre Chantraine, Dictionnaire
étymologique de la langue grecque. Histoire des mots. Paris
1968-1980
10 INTRODUCTION TO THE ‘LARYNGEAL THEORY’
Corolla linguistica = Corolla linguistica, Festschrift Ferdinand
Sommer, Wiesbaden, 1955
Couvreur, Hett H = Walter Couvreur, De Hettitische H, een
bijdrag tot de Studie van het Indo-Europeesche Vocalisme,
(Bibliothèque du Muséon 5), Louvain, 1937
ÉC = Études Celtiques, Paris
EngStud = Englische Studien, Heilbronn
Ériu = Ériu founded as the Journal of the School of Irish Learn­
ing Devoted to Irish Philology and Literature, Dublin
EvfL = Evidence for Laryngeals, second edition edited by Wer­
ner Winter (Janua Linguarum Studia Memoriae Nicolai Van
Wijk Dedicata. Series Maior XI), 1965
Fachtagung V = Flexion und Wortbildung. Akten der V Fachta­
gung der indogermanischen Gesellschaft Regensburg, 9-14 Sep­
tember 1973, Wiesbaden 1975
Fachtagung VI = Lautgeschichte und Etymologie. Akten der VI.
Fachtagung der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft Wien, 24-29
September 1978, Wiesbaden, 1980
Festschrift Neumann = Serta Indogermanica. Festschrift für
Günter Neumann zum 60. Geburtstag, hsgg. von J.Tischler,
Innsbruck, 1982
Festschrift Otten = Festschrift Heinrich Otten, 1973, hsgg. von
E. Neu und Christel Rüster
Festschrift Szemerényi = Studies in Diachronie, Synchronic, and
Typological Linguistics. Festschrift für Oswald Szemerényi on
the Occasion of the 65th Birthday. 2 Vols., Amsterdam, 1979
FlorAnat = Florilegium Anatolicum, Mélanges offerts à Emman­
uel Laroche, Paris, 1979
Friedrich, HethWb = Johannes Friedrich, Hethitisches Wör­
terbuch, Heidelberg, 1952
Gamkrelidze, Laringal’naja Teorija = T. V. Gamkrelidze, Chetts-
kij Jazyk i laringal'naja Teorija (Akademija Nauk Gruzinskoj
SSR), Tbilisi, 1960
Gedenkschrift Kronasser = Investigationes Philologicae et Com-
parativae. Gedenkschrift für Heinz Kronasser, hsgg. von
E.Neu, Wiesbaden, 1982
Godel, Introduction = R.Godel, An Introduction to the Study of
Classical Armenian, Wiesbaden, 1975
HdO = Handbuch der Orientalistik
Hethldg = Hethitisch und Indogermanisch. Vergleichende Studi-