Glossary of sound laws in the Indo-European languages

IE edit

Proto-Indo-European consonants and their reflexes in selected Indo-European daughter languages
PIE Skr. Av. O.C.S. Lith. Alb. Arm. Hitt. Toch. Greek Greek+[j] Latin Old Irish Gothic English
*p p; ph16 p; f17 p h;
w1
p pt p Ø;
ch [x]2
f;
b [β]3
f;
v, f8
*sp normal development of /s/+/p/ f normal development of /s/+/p/ f sp
*t t; th16 t; θ17 t tʿ [tʰ] t;
z [ts]5
t;
c [c]5
t s; tt/ss1 t t;
th [θ]8
þ [θ];
d [ð];3
t4
th;
d;3
t4
*t+t [tst] tt; tth16 st; 17? st s s? zt [tst] ss? st ss ss or st
*st normal development of /s/+/t/ sht [ʃt] normal development of /s/+/t/ st
*ḱ ś [ɕ] s š [ʃ] th [θ];
k9
s k k;
ś [ɕ]9
k c [k] c [k];
ch [x]8
h;
g [ɣ]3
h;
Ø;8
y3
*k k; c [tʃ];5
kh16
k; c [tʃ];5
x17
k;
č [tʃ];5
c [ts]10
k k kʿ [kʰ]
*kʷ k;
s;5
q [c]10
ku p;
t;5
k6
qu [kʷ];
c [k]7
ƕ [ʍ];
gw, w3
wh;
w3
*sḱ ćh; ććh1 s? sk š? h ?? č`; c`1 normal dev. of /s/+/ḱ/ sk; kh;19
skh20
sc [sk] sk sh [ʃ]
*sk normal development of /s/+/k/ ? normal development of /s/+/k/
*skʷ normal development of /s/+/kʷ/ normal development of /s/+/kʷ/ squ [skʷ] sc [sk] sq
*b b; bh16 b; β18 b p b pt b b [b];
[β]8
p
*d d; dh16 d; δ18 d d;
dh [ð]8
t ts;
ś [ɕ]5
d z [zd > dz > z] d d [d];
[ð]8
t
j [dʒ];
h [ɦ]16
z ž [ʒ] dh [ð];
g9
c [ts] k k;
ś [ɕ]9
g g g [ɡ];
[ɣ]8
k c / k;
ch10
*g g; j [dʒ];5
gh;16 h [ɦ]16,5
g; j [dʒ];5
γ18
g;
ž [ʒ];5
dz10
g g k
*gʷ g;
z;5
gj [ɟ]10
ku b;
d;5
g6
u [w > v];
gu [ɡʷ]15
b [b];
[β]8
q [kʷ] qu
*bʰ bh [bʱ] b; β18 b b;
w8
p ph [pʰ] pt f;21
b
b [b];
b [β];8
f13
b;
v / f24
*dʰ dh [dʱ] d; δ18 d t t;
c [c]5
th [tʰ] tt/ss f;21
d;
b14
d [d];
[ð]8
d;
d [ð];8
þ13
d
*ǵʰ h [ɦ] z ž [ʒ] dh [ð];
d9
j [dz];
z8
k k;
ś [ɕ]5
ch [kʰ] h;
h / g9
g [ɡ];
[ɣ]8
g;
g [ɣ];8
g [x]13
g;
y / w24
*gʰ gh [ɡʱ];
h [ɦ]5
g; j [dʒ];5
γ18
g;
ž [ʒ];5
dz10
g g g;
ǰ [dʒ]5
*gʷʰ g;
z;5
gj [ɟ]10
ku ph [pʰ];
th [tʰ];5
ch [kʰ]6
f;21
g /
u [w];8
gu [ɡʷ]15
g;
b;21
w;8
gw15
g;
b;21
w8
*s s h [h, x];
s2
s sh [ʃ];
gj [ɟ];12
h8
h;
s;2
Ø8
š [s] s;
[ʂ]
h;21
s;22, 13
Ø;8
[¯]23
i s;
r8
s [s];
[h]8
s;
z3
s;
r3
[ʂ]11 š [ʃ]11 x [x]11 š [ʃ]11
*m m in m m [m];
[w̃]8
m
*-m13 m ˛ [˜] n Ø n -- m n Ø
*n n n;
˛ [˜]13
n n;
ñ [ɲ]
n in n
*l r (dial. l) r l l;
ll [ɫ]8
l /
ɫ
> ɣ]
l il l
*r r r [ɾ];
rr [r]8
r ir r
*i̯ y [j] j [j] gj [ɟ];
Ø
Ø y [j] z [zd > dz > z] /
h;
Ø 8
?i i [j];
Ø 8
Ø j y
*u̯ v [ʋ] v [w] v v [ʋ] v g / w w w > h / Ø i u [w > v] f;
Ø8
w
PIE Skr. Av. O.C.S. Lith. Alb. Arm. Hitt. Toch. Greek Greek+/j/ Latin Old Irish Gothic English
Notes:
  • 1 After a vowel.
  • 2 Before a plosive (p, t, k).
  • 3 Following an unstressed vowel (Verner's law).
  • 4 After a (PIE) stop or s.
  • 5 Before a (PIE) front vowel (i, e).
  • 6 Before or after a (PIE) u.
  • 7 Before or after a (PIE) o, u.
  • 8 Between vowels.
  • 9 Before a sonorant.
  • 10 Before secondary (post-PIE) front-vowels.
  • 11 After r, u, k, i (Ruki sound law).
  • 12 Before a stressed vowel.
  • 13 At the end of a word.
  • 14 After u, r or before r, l.
  • 15 After n.
  • 16 Before an original laryngeal.
  • 17 Before a consonant or original laryngeal.
  • 18 In Younger Avestan, after a vowel.
  • 19 After r, l, m, n, t, d, possibly other consonants?
  • 20 After (Greek) th.
  • 21 At the beginning of a word.
  • 22 Before or after an obstruent (p, t, k, etc.; s).
  • 23 Before or after a resonant (r, l, m, n).
  • 24 Between vowels, or between a vowel and r, l (on either side).



Proto-Indo-European vowels and syllabic consonants, and their reflexes in the Indo-European daughter languages
Trad. PIE Laryng. PIE Skr. Av. O.C.S. Lith. Arm. Alb. Toch. Hitt. Greek Latin18 Proto-Celtic Gothic19 Old English18
normal umlauted20
*e *e, *h₁e a e je, ie, e, i; ja12 ä e, i e i; [ɛ]2 e; eo21 i; ie21
*a (*a3), *h₂e o a a ha, a ā ha, a a a æ; a;22 ea21 e; ie21
*o *h₃e o, a a a, e a o
*o a; ā4
16 *h₁16 i i, Ø Ø a, Ø ā a e a a, Ø
*h₂16 h a
*h₃16 o
*- *h₁-17 Ø e (a?) Ø a e (o) Ø
*h₂-17 a ha a
*h₃-17 a, ha o
, *eh₁ ā ě ė i o, ua a/e?; ā?8 e, i ē ī ē ǣ
(3), *eh₂ a o [oː] a a/o? a, ah ā > ē15 ā ā ō ē
, *eh₃ uo u e a/ā?; ū?8 a ō ā; ū8
*i *i i ь i i i; e10 ä i i i; [ɛ]2 i
*ih₁ ī i y [iː] i i ī ī ei [iː] ī
*ih₂ i
or (j)a?7
ī or (j)ā?7
*ih₃ ī or (j)ō?7
*ei *ei, *h₁ei ai > ē ai > ōi,
āi > aē4
ei; ie5 i e ei ei ī īa; ē6
*oi *oi, *h₃ei ě ai; ie5 e e, ai ay oi ū oe ái ā ǣ
*ai (*ai3), *h₂ei ai ae ae
*ēi *ēi āi; ā8 āi; ā(i)8 i i ēi ī? ei [iː] ī
*ōi *ōi (*oei) y; u8 ai; ui8 e, ai ai ōi ō u8 ái ā ǣ
*āi *eh₂ei ě āi > ēi15 ae
*u *u u ъ u u u; y11 ä u u u u; o1 u; [ɔ]2 u; o23 y
*uh₁ ū y ū y; i8 u ū ū ȳ
*uh₂ u
or (w)a?7
ū or (w)ā?7
*uh₃ ū or (w)ō?7
*eu *eu, *h₁eu ō ə̄u; ao4 ju iau oy e u eu ū ūa; ō9 iu ēo īe
*ou *ou,*h₃eu u au a o, au ou áu ēa
*au (*au3), *h₂eu aw au au
*ēu *ēu āu u iau e ū? iu ēo
*ōu *ōu a ō áu ēa
*m̥ *m̥ a ę im̃; um̃14 am a äm am a em em, am um um ym
*m̥̅ *mh₁ ā ìm; ùm14 ama
*mh₂ mā > mē15
*mh₃
*m̥m *m̥m am ьm/ъm im; um14 am am em am
*n̥ *n̥ a ę ; 14 an än an a en en, an un un yn
*n̥̄ *nh₁ ā ìn; ùn14 ana
*nh₂ nā > nē 15
*nh₃
*n̥n *n̥n an ьn/ъn ; 14 an an en an
*l̥ *l̥ ərə lь/lъ il̃; ul̃14 al il, li; ul, lu äl al la ol li ul ul; ol23 yl
*l̥̄ *lh₁ īr; ūr13 arə ìl; ùl14 ala al
*lh₂ lā > lē15
*lh₃
*l̥l *l̥l ir; ur13 ar ьl/ъl il; ul14 al, la al el al
*r̥ *r̥ ərə rь/rъ ir̃; ur̃14 ar ir, ri; ur, ru är ar ra or ri aúr [ɔr] ur; or23 yr
*r̥̄ *rh₁ īr; ūr13 arə ìr; ùr14 ara ra
*rh₂ rā > rē15
*rh₃
*r̥r *r̥r ir; ur13 ar ьr/ъr ir; ur14 ar ar ar ar
Trad. PIE Laryng. PIE Skr. Av. O.C.S. Lith. Arm. Alb. Toch. Hitt. Greek Latin18 Proto-Celtic Gothic19 normal umlauted20
Old English18
Notes
  • 1 Before wa.
  • 2 Before r, h. Gothic, but not other Germanic languages, merges /e/ and /i/.
  • 3 The existence of PIE non-allophonic a is disputed.
  • 4 In open syllables (Brugmann's law).
  • 5 Under stress.
  • 6 Before palatal consonants.
  • 7 The so-called breaking is disputed (typical examples are *proti-h₃kʷo- > Ved. prátīkam ~ Gk. πρόσωπον; *gʷih₃u̯o- > Ved. jīvá- ~ Arm. keank‘, Gk. ζωός; *duh₂ro- > Ved. dūrá- ~ Arm. erkar, Gk. δηρός)
  • 8 In a final syllable.
  • 9 Before velars and unstressed
  • 10 Before ā in the following syllable.
  • 11 Before i in the following syllable.
  • 12 In a closed syllable.
  • 13 In the neighbourhood of labials.
  • 14 In the neighbourhood of labiovelars.
  • 15 ā > ē in Attic and Ionic dialects only.
  • 16 Between consonants, or at the end of a word after a consonant.
  • 17 At the beginning of a word, followed by a consonant.
  • 18 In initial syllables only.
  • 19 In non-final syllables only.
  • 20 Before i, ī, or /j/ in the next syllable in Proto-Germanic (i-umlaut).
  • 21 Before h, w, or before r, l plus a consonant ("breaking").
  • 22 Before a back vowel in the next syllable (a restoration).
  • 23 Before a non-high vowel in the next syllable (a-mutation).