Knowra Laryngeal theory Laryngeal theory Laryngeal theory reconstructs consonants in Proto-Indo-European that disappeared or changed in its daughter languages. It explains patterns in vowel quality, length, and consonant alternations across the Indo-European family.
Proto-Indo-European phonology : The reconstructed sound system of Proto-Indo-European, including its consonants, vowels, and syllabic resonants. Laryngeal theory revises this sound system by adding consonants that left traces in daughter languages.
Ferdinand de Saussure : A Swiss linguist whose work on Indo-European vowel alternations helped establish structural linguistics. His 1879 analysis proposed abstract coefficients later associated with laryngeal consonants.
Comparative method : A historical-linguistic method that reconstructs ancestral languages by comparing systematic correspondences among related languages. It provides the method for inferring lost Proto-Indo-European consonants from daughter-language evidence.
Schwa indogermanicum : A historical label for an abstract vowel posited in early analyses of Indo-European alternations. The term reflects an earlier vowel-centered interpretation that laryngeal theory replaced with consonants.
Anatolian languages : An extinct branch of Indo-European that includes Hittite, Luwian, and Lycian. Anatolian evidence anchors the reconstruction, but its limited distribution complicates the full inventory.
Indo-European ablaut : A systematic alternation of vowel grades in related Indo-European word forms. Laryngeals help explain why ablaut grades differ in vowel quality and length.
Hermann Möller : A Danish linguist who developed an early version of the laryngeal theory in Indo-European linguistics. He argued that the proposed coefficients corresponded to consonants with Semitic-like articulations.
Proto-Indo-European : The reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Laryngeal theory concerns the sound system attributed to this unattested ancestral language.
Three-laryngeal theory : A reconstruction that distinguishes three Proto-Indo-European laryngeal phonemes, commonly written *h₁, *h₂, and *h₃. It is the standard detailed version of the theory, though some reconstructions posit additional distinctions.
Laryngeal phonetics : The study of the physical articulation and acoustic properties of sounds called laryngeals. Their exact Proto-Indo-European articulations remain disputed despite evidence for their phonological effects.
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