c-SUMERIAN-5_phonology.htm

PROTO-LANGUAGE PHONEMES

in IE and Sumerian

by Patrick C. Ryan

(4/22/2005)

Assumptions

1. Proto-Language, went through a Pontic stage, from which Proto-IE, Proto-Afrasian, and Proto-Sumerian developed, during which the earlier contrasts of CE, and CO were replaced by Pontic C^yA and C^wA; CA was retained.

a. Pontic A (low central vowel) may have had a stress-accented allophone of 6, [schwa ( high central vowel)].

b. This vocalic development enabled Ablaut gradations to take place later in IE, and vowel patterning in Semitic (but not Egyptian, which retained Pontic a throughout or Sumerian, which restored vowels with the glides.

2. In Sumerian, Pontic C^yA and C^wA were replaced by *C^yi and *C^wu while CA was retained as *Ca.

3. In PIE, Proto-Afrasian, and Sumerian, Pontic F/FH were replaced by *w/*^hw.

4. In PIE and Proto-Afrasian, Pontic ?^ya became /j/; in Sumerian, Pontic ?^ya also became /*j/, written *i in Sumerian.

5. Therefore, at the time that Sumerian branched off from the main trunk of the Pontic, Pontic had the following consonantal inventory:

6. Sumerian




a. Pontic voiceless aspirated and unaspirated (glottalized) affricates were de-affricated (the latter de-glottalized; and probably aspirated to replace affrication), and merged with voiceless aspirated stops; voiceless glottalized stops were de-glottalized, and possibly voiced (they are written so in any case):





1) Pontic P[H], PF[H], P[?]F; T[H], TS[H], T[?]S; K[H], KX[H], K[?]X became Sumerian *p, *t, *k;



a)) Sumerian *kV+'*wV became *xV;


b)) In a few instances, *tV+'wV became dotted *t, which we indicate
as *T (retroflex?);





2) Pontic P[?], T[?], K[?] became Sumerian *b, *d, *g;



3) had Sumerian merged voiceless unaspirated (voiced?) and voiceless aspirated stops, it would have had the same obstruent inventory as proto-Basque: P, T, K.





b) Pontic M/M[H] merged into Sumerian *m;



c) Pontic NA and N^wA became Sumerian *na and *n^wu; Pontic N^yA became Sumerian *l^yi, and merged with Sumerian *l^yi/î from Pontic N[H]^yA; Sumerian *l^(-,w)a(â)/u(û) derived from Pontic N[H]^(-,w)A;



d) Pontic Q was de-nasalized to Sumerian *g[~]³ initially, merging in pronunciation with *g (from Pontic K[?]) ; but medially or finally, appearing as *(n)g[~]³.



Pontic Q[H] was de-nasalized to *k² or de-velarized to *n² (or *ñ) [before *i?] initially, merging with *k (from Pontic K[H], KX[H], and K[?]X) and *n; but Sumerian *[n]k² medially or finally;



e) Sumerian *w/ and *^hw merged into *w, written *u (rarely *w); Sumerian *s and *s^h merged into *s; Sumerian *x and *x^h merged into *x, written *h;



1)) Sumerian *wi became *g[~]²i (similar to the Armenian and Celtic reflexes of IE *wi);




a)) Note here M. Civil, quoted in Thomsen (1984), p. 44: "Since /g~/ is regularly found only before 'front' vowels (the few exceptions can be easily explained) . . ." It should be pointed out that, having noted this connection, Civil however comes to a different conclusion regarding its significance.



2)) Sumerian *s^yi/*s^hy merged, and became *š^yi;



3)) Sumerian *sV+'*jV became *š;



4)) In a few instances, *sV+'wV became dotted *s, which we indicate as *S (retroflex?);



5)) Sumerian *x^yi/*x^hy merged, and became *š^y₂i;





f) Sumerian *r^h became *L, capitalized to distinguish it from *l; but written *l by Sumerologists;



g) Sumerian *r^wu became *Lu, capitalized to distinguish it from *lu; but written *lu by Sumerologists;



h) Pontic H, HH, ? became *Ø in writing but ? may have been retained in pronunciation as /?/ since it seems to produce hiatus between vowels; possibly also lengthening;



i) Pontic ¿ became Sumerian *ts/dz, written *z;



j) All glides were eliminated.



j) Vowels



a) C^-a remained Ca; C^ya became Ci; C^wa became Cu.



1)) Ca+a became Câ (written Ca); Ca+i became Cê [/e:/] (written Ce); Ca+u became CU [/o:/] (written u by Sumerologists);



2)) Ci+a became Câ (written Ca); Ci+i became Cî (written Ce); Ci+u became C^yu (written Cu);



3)) Cu+a became Câ (written a); Cu+i became Cî (written i); Cu+u became Cû (written u).




b. The Sumerian consonant inventory is (Thomsen's [1984] notation, where different, follows each consonant in braces):

Combinatory Modifications
for modifications of the vowels and consonants in combination, see the

What will surprise many readers, are the startling

similarities in correspondences to Proto-Language

phonemes displayed by Basque and Sumerian.

A Sumerian Comparison essay is currently being developed

and should be ready during the autumn of 1998.

NOTATIONAL CONVENTIONS

PROTO-LANGUAGE MONOSYLLABLES

In order for readers to judge the semantic plausibility of the analysis of Proto-Language (PL) compounds suggested here, I am including access to a table of Proto-Language monosyllables and the meanings I have provisionally assigned.

Most assignments can be exhaustively supported by data from actually attested forms but a few animates are very doubtful; and this list does not represent the "final" solution of these questions, which will only be approached when other scholars assist in refining it.

Patrick C. Ryan

Summer 1998

SUMERIAN BIBLIOGRAPHY

ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY