Laryngeal theory
The laryngeal theory of Indo-European Studies explains certain irregularities in sound shifts and Ablautreihen the individual languages by the action of so-called laryngeals. The term " laryngeal " (or " Laryngallaut " ) Semitic Studies is taken. He traditionally referred throat or " laryngeal sounds " that may be taken as pharyngeal or glottal in modern phonetics, and have on neighboring vowels koartikulativ coloring effects, while they themselves tend to partially attenuated pronunciation or diachronically completely disappeared.
Situated she went in abstract form Ferdinand de Saussure in 1879. Saussure believed that the long vowels of Ablautreihe ā- ō -a from the combination of / e / - / o / - / null / have emerged with a sound that in has left the traditional languages no traces. Disappeared this vowel, then this was reflected sound as / a / or / i / in Old Indic.
When they later realized that the so-called " Laryngallaute " the Semitic languages ( phonetically so the pharyngeal and glottal sounds ) quite similar behavior as postulated by Saussure sounds, they began to refer to them as laryngal also. Assumptions about the pronunciation of the Indo-European voreinzelsprachlichen " laryngeals " based still much on the model of the corresponding thereto Semitic sounds.
The laryngeal theory is now widely recognized by earlier dispute.
Specifically, three laryngeals be phonologically usually postulated the ₂, h ₃ are listed or ə ₁, ə ₂, ə ₃ as h ₁, h. Is not known which of the three has to be recognized in the reconstructions, such laryngeal today is symbolized by the symbol H Cover. Before and during the first period after the ' discovery ' schwa was written indogermanicum ə in many cases. The exact pronunciation of this ' laryngeals ' the phonologists are not unanimous.
Exemplary developments in the Indo individual languages
- In ancient Greek, the Indo-European laryngeals to have such an impact that h was ₁ continued by / e /, h ₂ by / a / and h ₃ by / ο / or under compensatory lengthening ( postvokalisch ) has disappeared: * h ₁ LNG ʷ ʰ -us > ελαχύς ELAK ʰ ys ' low '; * ph ₂ ter> πατήρ pater ' father '; * ok̑teh ₃ > οκτώ October ' eight '.
- In Hittite was h ₂ in all positions and possibly h ₃ in initial position as laryngeal, transliterated ḫ, continued: * peh ₂ ur> paḫḫur ' fire '.
This observation was in accordance with the decipherment of Hittite, the oldest so far known to us in writing Indo-European language in 1929 are made, and it is often cited as a practical confirmation of Saussure's theory. In fact, it was rather an obstacle to the enforcement of the laryngeal theory. In today's representations of the laryngeal theory is usually justified by evidence from ancient Greek.
In addition, some Indo-Europeanists believe that the complicated Ablautsysteme (eg eia: go, went, gone ) of the daughter languages from a few vowels, might be even derive a single vowel. By other researchers such attempts are rejected as arbitrary, " wand - laryngalistische " explanations.