comparison.BLACKFOOT.11.htm

PROTO-LANGUAGE PHONEMES

in IE and Blackfoot (Algonquian)


by Patrick C. Ryan

(8/29/97)



The purpose of this short essay is to establish as a hypothesis that IE and Blackfoot are both descended from a common ancestor, which, I term the Proto-Language — from the form into which it had developed by about 40-15K BPE.

This date is based on the estimates of Cavalli-Sforza for the separation of the peoples of Northeast Asia and America (The Great Human Diasporas, p. 123) from the "main" branch of the people speaking the Proto-Language. During this phase of development, the Proto-Language was passing out of a ergative-type morphology into a nominative-type morphology (G. A. Klimov).

Blackfoot has retained classifiers to help distinguish otherwise homophonous roots semantically.

Its word order is inconsistently SOV with Adj + Noun but V + O in agglutinative compounds, what we would expect from any language that is developing towards nominative syntax.

Blackfoot (Algonquian) separated from the main branch of the Proto-Language after the stage of development (Pontic) in which the oldest semantic contrasts of CE / CA / CO were replaced by C^yV, C^(-)V, and C^wV, the superscripts indicating semi-consonantal glides or no glide. Unfortunately, in Blackfoot, the palatal and velar glides were subsequently lost without a phonological trace.

In the Table of Correspondence found after the listing of lexical cognates below, the column entitled PROTO-LANGUAGE shows the earliest syllables before vocalic contrasts were replaced by a contrast of glides and no glide (during the Pontic stage).

Similar tables of equivalence can and have been constructed for the Proto-Language, IE and Afrasian, Altaic, Basque, Beng (Southern Mandé), Hurrian, Japanese, Mon-Hmong, Nama (Khoisan), (Sino-)Tibetan, Sumerian, and Uralic.

PL / IE / BLACKFOOT LEXICAL COMPARISONS

(IE entries in parentheses are keywords in Pokorny unless marked by *)

[Blackfoot entries are from Frantz 1991 and Frantz and Russell 1989]

The Proto-Language had 32 consonants, which have been reduced to 8 in Blackfoot (except in certain phonetic environments); its three vowels (E-A-O) have been reduced to one (a), and Blackfoot i and o are the result of vocalizations of PL $ and F/FH in certain positions. The palatal and velar glides that resulted from the Pontic stage reductions of CE and CO to CyA and CwA have been lost without a trace. As a consequence, verbal and nominal roots (CV[C]) carry such little semantic information that they have had to be expanded into verbal and nominal stems to provide semantic differentiation.

(1)$A-NA ("eye-thing"), in-i (vti) / in-o⁽¹⁾ (vta), "see" ; (IE e:n, "look there!" )

(2)SE-$E-ME ("excrete-like-emit"), sim (vta), "stab" ("[cause to] drip"); (IE sei-m-, "drip, run, damp", listed under sei-)

(3)SE-$E-ME ("excrete-like-emit"), sim-i⁽²⁾ (via), "drink" ("[cause to] drip"+object); (IE sei-m-, "drip, run, damp", listed under sei-)

(4)SA-"K[H]E-$E ("strong-gray-like"), in sski, (adj) "dark"; (IE sk[^]a:i-, "shimmer subduedly; shadow (reflection)"

(5)SA-"KX[H]E-F[H]A ("strong-run-(n)ing"), in ssko (vta), "chase"; (cf. IE 5. sk[^]eu- in 2. (s)keud-, "throw, shoot, hunt"; intr. "shoot past, hurry, shoot out")

(6)SA-KX[H]A-$E ("strong-clear[ly delineated]-like"), in sski (nroot), "face (*features)"; (IE (s)ka:i-, "bright, illuminating, *clear")

(7) MO-FA+?O-FA ("flesh-es"=body-part classifier+"mouth-s"), maoó (*mao+*o(:)) (in), "mouth"; (IE in mu:s-, "muscle"[MO-FA-SA, "flesh-es-sinew"]; in 1. ous-, "mouth, orifice, edge")

(8)SE-$A-X[H]A ("excrete-d-flat [pan] = shrink"), sik (adj), "black or dark (*dried out and shrunken)"; IE seik[w]-, "dry", listed under seik[w]-, "gush out, sift, let run, dribble")

(9)"K[?]O-N[H]A, ("twist-start to . . .=put together tightly "), kan (adj), "all"; (IE (s)+*gel- = *kel-, *hold, listed incorrectly under 5. kel-, "drive, incite to fast movement, *hold"; cf. 2. (s)kel-, "owe, be guilty, should"; g(e)leu-, "balled mass", listed under 1.gel-, "ball up, form a ball, something rounded, conical"); (cf. Egyptian Tnw, "number"); (cf. Arabic kullun, "all")

(10)HHA-F[H]A-T[?]A ("water-s-give"), ots-i (vta), "douse with water" (give water"+object) / (vai), "swim"; (IE wed-, "water", listed under 9. aw(e)-, "sprinkle, dampen, flow")

(11)SA-HHA ("strong-water"), in saaá-m (in), "medicine or powers of healing"; (IE in sa:no-s, "healthy, healed")

(12)MO-FA+?O+RA-SO ("flesh-es"=body-part classifier+"mouth+back-skin"), móós (*mo + *a(:)s) (an), "anus"; (IE ers-, "behind, tail")

(13)$E-KX[H]E-$O ("raise-[move] fast"+causative+object), iki-i (via), "do"; (IE *y6ky-, "throw, make, do", listed under ye:-: y6-)

(14)XE-$E ("body-hair-like"), kaayíí-s (in), "quill"; (IE g[w]ey6-, "hide, pelt", listed under g[w]e:i-; *g[w]ei-, "*quill", in MHG kil, "quill", listed under 1. g[w]el-, "1. stick; 2. (penetrating) pain, misery, death")

(15)P[H]O-F[H]A-SO ("swell-ing-pull=inflate"), poos (an), "cat" (cf. also o-hpoos); (IE peus-, "swell up", listed under 1. pu/u:-, "blow up, swell")

(16)MO-FA-T[?]A-$E / T[?]SO-$E ("flesh-es"=body-part classifier+"hand-like / arm-like"), mo?tsí(s) (in), "hand, arm"; (IE *dei-, "*hand", in deik[^]-, "point, indicate something with words, say, point out the correct thing, point at the culprit, accuse"; also doig[^]-)

(17)HHA-F[H]A-X[H]O ("water-s"-large animate plural), aohk-íí (in), "water"; (cf. IE akwa:-, "water, river"; the Blackfoot form differs only in preferring the plural termination -F[H]A)

(18)FA-FA ("all-round"), owáá (in), "egg"; (IE o(w)y-om, "egg"; dissimilated from *wawa)

(19)T[H]A ("fox"), o-táá (an), "weasel (that has a brown summer coat)"; cf. also otáátoyi (an), "fox" (otáá + [o]toyi, "red-tail"?; cf. otahko, "orange"; otaikimm, "gold" ); (IE *to-t- in Middle English stote, "stoat")

(20)X[H]O-$E-SE ("exhale-like-excrete (forcefully)"), hksis (nroot), "nose"; (IE k[^][w]eis-, "hiss, whistle, *sneeze", listed under 2. k[^][w]ei-; cf. kse:u-, "sneeze", listed under 3. ske:u-)

(21)(NA-)$A-NA(-F[H]A) ("(the-)eye-thing(-animate)"), (n)ínaa (an), "chief"; (cf. IE e:n, "look there")

(22)?A-K[H]O-$E ("family-little[one]-like"), aakíí (an), "woman"; (IE akka:, "mother")

(23)Q[H]E-$E-SE ("spur-like-seed"), ksis, (adj), "pointed, sharp"); (IE ak[^]i- listed under 2. ak[^]-, "sharp, pointed, edged, stone")

(24)F[H]A-$E ("wolf-voice"), oyi-mm (vta), "mourn"; (IE wai-, "woe, *wail")

(25)T[?]O-$E-NA ("organ-like-thing"), ma-tsiní, (in), "tongue"; (IE in dng[^]u:-, "tongue" [cf. Old Latin dingua, "tongue"])

(26)MA-?A ("full"+stative), ma?-s (in), "edible bulbous root"; (IE 2. ma:-, "good, at a good time, *ripe")

(27)N[H]A-$E-FA ("wave-like-palm"), naaw (adj), "left"; (IE laiwo-, "left")

(28)NO-$E ("stomach-like=exciting"), naa-t (adj), "fortunately"; naa-to (adj), "holy, sacred"; (IE 2. nei-, ""be move vigorously, be excited, gleam")

(29)K[H]E-$E ("dog-like"), o-hki (via), "bark"; cf. o-hk(*y)a-t (vta), "bark at" (the initial o- indicates the activity of an animate; the "transitive form" is a result of -t [T[?]A, "side"] being incorporated into the stem (*ohka), creating, in effect, a locative orientation);

(30)Q[H]O-NA ("squeeze, start to. . . [press together, as a crowd]"), o-hkan (adj), "all (animate)" [here the simple root has been prefixed by o- [F[H]A] to indicate an animate; (IE 1. ken-, "push together")

(31)KX[H]A-NA ("hum-emit [be husky]"), o-hkama-t (vta), "threaten" (see #30 for o- and -t); (IE 2. kem-, "hum, be hoarse, husky")

(32)Q[H]A-$E-NA ("hard-like-thing"), o-hkin (in), "bone"; (IE *ke(i)n-, "*bone", in Middle Irish cna:im, "bone", listed incorrectly under 2. ken-, "scratch, chip, rub"

(33)P[H]A-R[H]E ("over-come"), o-hpáa-ta-ki (via), "carry something"; (IE per-, "lead, come, bring over, set over, force through, fly")

(34)PF[H]E-$E ("jump-like"), o-hpii (adj), "hurried"; (IE s+*p(h)ei-, "hurry", in Lithuanian speme[~], "haste", listed incorrectly under 3. sp(h)e:i-, "prosper, spread out=become fat, proceed, have success, succeed")

(35)PF[H]A-$E-FA ("fat-like-round"), o-hpo (adj), "greasy, oily"; (IE *pi:-w-, "fat", listed under pey(6)-, "be fat, bulge")

(36)M[H]A-RO ("bite (off)-large"), o-máa-t (vta), "plague, pester"; (IE 6. mer-, "bother, irritate, neglect, forget")

(37)M[H]E-KX[H]E ("thin-long"), o-mahk (adj), "big, old"(cf. o-mahks-i (via), "be older, larger"; (IE ma:k[^]-, "long and thin, slender")

(38)R[H]E-F[H]A-NA ("come-ing-one"), on (adj), "swift"; (IE *reun-, in English run, listed under 3. er-, "put into motion, excite (also spiritually, irritate, tease), raise (elevation, grown high)"

(39)NO-FA-T[?]SA ("feel-ing-body"), o-noots-i (via), "hunger for food, have sexual desire"; (IE neu-dh-, "desire, long for")

(40)R[H]E-F[H]A ("come-ing"), oo (via), "go (move, travel, ambulate)"; (IE reu-, listed under 3. er-, "put into motion, excite (also spiritually, irritate, tease), raise (elevation, grown high))"

(41)P[H]A[/P]H]O]-$E-SE ("over-[/swell up]like-excrete"), o-pisa-a (via), "boil meat over an open fire"; (IE *peis-, "*boil", in Greek épso:, "I boil", listed under eph-, "boil" [cf. IE 1. pe/e:s-, "blow, moan"; Egyptian p[/f]si (for *p[/f]izi), "cook"{Coptic pise:}])

(42)RE-FA-K[?]XO ("scratch-ing-hole"), o?k (adj), "raw"; (IE reugh-, "raw", listed under 2. reu-, "rip up, excavate, stir up, rip out, grab")

(43)RO-FA-K[?]O ("raise-ing- twist"), oka-a-sa-t (vta), "grab, pick up" [-animate-"out-at"]; (IE reug-, "pluck", listed under 2. reu-, "rip up, excavate, stir up, rip out, grab")

(44)T[?]A-?A-K[?]A ("side"-stative-"cup"), o-?tak-i (via), "take (something)"; (IE de:g-, "pack (?), *take")

(45)SE-$A-QE ("excrete-ed-congeal"), sikk (vroot), "decrease the mass of, lower"; (IE *seing-, "sink", in English sink, listed under sengw-, "fall, sink")

(46)P[?]FA-F[H]O ("prominent-wail"); i-?po-yi (via), "talk, speak, speak harshly"; (IE b(h)eu-, "onomatopoeic for dull sounds, *yell", listed under 1. b(e)u-; cf. 2. bha:-, "speak")

(47)S[H]O-F[H]A-KX[H]A ("clan-s=good-burn"), sok (adj), "good"; (IE swek-, "smell (good)")

(48)S[H]O-F[H]A-K[?]A-$E-NA ("clan-s=good-cup-like-thing=contents"), ss-kin-i (vti), "know"; (IE su, "well, good" + 2. g[^]en- [for *gyen-], "recognize, know")

(49)S[H]O-F[H]A-FA-Q[H]A ("clan-s=good-round-hump"), ssok-o (vroot), "heavy"; (IE su, "well, good" + wenk-, "bend"= swenk-, "ponderous (pregnant), be heavy")

(50)S[H]O-F[H]A-P[H]A-R[H]E ("clan-s=good-over-come"), ss-p (vroot), "up, high"; (IE su, "well, good" + 2. per, "over")

(51)S[H]O-F[H]A-T[?]A-?A-$E ("clan-s=good-be at the side"-stative-"like"), ss-tayi (via), "tie and stretch a hide in preparation for scraping"; (IE su, "well, good" + de:i-, "bind", listed under de:-)

(52)F[H]O-RE ("wail-apply"), waa-n-ii (via), "say (something)"; (IE 6. wer-, "say ceremonially, speak")

(53)S[H]O-F[H]A-T[?]SE-?A ("clan-s=good-suck"-stative), ss-taa (via), "suck milk/nurse"; (IE su, "well, good" + dhe:(i)-, "suck, nurse")

(54)S[H]O-F[H]A-T[H]O-P[H]A-$E-K[H]O ("clan-s=good-approach"-diminutive-"-like-little "), ss-tahp-ik (adj), "by choice"; (IE su, "well, good" + top-, "arrive at somewhere, run into or fall into, place that one reaches or wants to reach, *intend"; cf. Egyptian stp, "choose")

(55)S[H]O-F[H]A-TS[H]A-F[H]A-K[H]O ("clan-s=good-excessive-(be)ing-little"), ss-to-k (adj), "extensive/excessive/to a great degree"); (IE st-eu-, "massive, firm, thick, wide", listed incorrectly understa:-, "stand, set up")

(56)S[H]O-F[H]A-TS[H]A-F[H]A-T[?]SE-$O ("clan-s=good-stand-up-ing=stake-release-object"), ss-tao-?ts-i (vti), "pound a post or stick into the ground"; (IE st(h)a:u-, "stand, post", listed under sta:-, "stand, set up" + 2. dhe:-, "set, place, lay")

(57)(?A[???])-HHE-R[H]A-P[?]E ("smoke-color-pour out"), a-áápa-n (nin), "blood"; (IEe/e:reb(h)-, "dark red, brownish hues")

(58)HHA-R[H]A-P[?]FO-$E ("water-color=white-place-like"), áápi (adj), "white/light-colored"; (IE *ar-, "white", listed under ar(e)g[^]-, "shining, whitish"; 3. ar-, "nut"; for construction, cf. albho-, "white"; HHA-N[H]A, "water-wave")

(59)(?A-[???])P[H]A-?A-K[?]XA ("flat"-stative-"hang="shaving"), a-pak (adj), "wide and flat"; (IE spe:g-, "shaving", listed under sp(h)e:-, "long, flat piece of wood")

(60)P[H]A-N[H]A-$E ("over-move-like"), a-pánii (nan), "butterfly/moth"); (IE 1. pel-, "fly, flap"; cf. Latin pa:pilio:, "butterfly")

(61)?A-P[?]FE-$E ("here-foot-like"), a?pii (vii), "be in a specified way"; (IE *abhi-, "around, at both sides", listed under ambhi-)

(62)R[H]A-$E-K[?]XA ("high-like-hang=suspend"), ika (vta), "share with, give to"; (IE *reig-, listed under reig[^]-, "stretch, stretch out, reach or offer with outstretched hand"; cf. Egyptian s3H, "reach, arrive at")

(63)RE-$E-K[H]XA ("fingernail-like-hurt=scratch"), ika (nroot), "feet"; (IE reik(h)-, "scratch", listed under 1. rei-, "scratch, rip, cut"; cf. Egyptian (s)3H, "toe")

(64)K[H]XA-$E-?A-T[?]A-$O ("hurt-like-here-give-object"), i-kai?ts-i (vti), "dislike"; (IE k[^]a:d- (for *kya:d-), "emotional uneasiness, sorrow, hatred")

(65)[???]-K[H]XE-F[H]A ("run-(n)ing"), ik-kaa-yi (via), "canter, run fast" (ik- from *it-, *toward"[???]); (IE s + k[^]eu-, listed under 5. ske:u-, "throw, shoot, pursue")

(66)S[H]E-KX[H]E-$A ("leave-run"-perfective), sa-ksi (via), "exit from a room or building" (sa (adj), "out"); (IE se, "to one side, separated"; ke:i-, "set in movement, be in movement, *run")

(67)KX[H]O-$A ("cut"-perfective), i-ksi (nroot), "wood/root(?)"; (IE in kaito-, "woods, uncultivated strip of land"; cf. Egyptian xt, "wood")

(68)KX[H]A-$A-S[H]A ("burn-ed-quality"), i-ksis-t (adj), "hot, warm, heat"; (IE *kais-, "*heat", in Lithuanian kaistù, >"become hot", listed under 3. ka/a:i-, "heat")

(69)KX[H]A-$E-S[H]A ("bee-like-quality=pointed"), ksis (adj), "pointed, sharp"; (IE kais-, "hair")

(70)P[?]O-R[H]E-K[?]E ("cheek-come-split open"), i-pakk (vroot), "burst"; (IE 1. bhreg[^]-, "break, crack"; bhereg-, "roar, bark, make noise")

(71)P[?]FO-FA-T[?]A ("trunk=club-(b)ing-give"), i-pot (vta), "batter/beat"; (IE bhaud-, listed under bha:u-, "beat, push")

{vti, transitive verb stem with inanimate objects; vta, transitive verb stem with animate object}

{vii, intransitive verb stem with inanimate subject; via, intransitive verb stem with animate subject}

{vroot, verb root requiring a final element to determine the verbal category for a verbal stem}

{an, animate noun stem; in, inanimate noun stem; +p, requires possessive to precede}

{nroot, noun root, used only in compounds, requiring an additional element for a noun stem}

{adj, adjective root, used only in compounds)

{dem, demonstrative; pro, pronoun; part, uninflected particle; fin, final element to determine verbal category; inst, instrumental final element to determine nominal gender category}

PL MORPHOLOGICAL ELEMENTS IN BLACKFOOT

(not included under lexical headings)

press here to see

to investigate these phonological correspondences in detail, see the

NOTATIONAL CONVENTIONS

For an explanation of the Proto-Language and Indo-European notational conventions used in these essays, press here.

Blackfoot

The notation of the Blackfoot forms and roots discussed in this essay follows the style of Donald G. Frantz⁽³⁾ except the glottal stop, /?/, is written ? rather than '.

Consonants

"Long" Consonants

It appears that one source for long (doubled) consonants is deletion of a vowel due to lack of stress-accent: C₁V"C₂V = C₁C₁C₂V.

Vowels

Pitch

Pitch is phonemic in Blackfoot, and the acute accent indicates high pitch: á.

Summary of Phonological Changes

from Proto-Language to Blackfoot(Algonquian)

Combinatory Modifications

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

Table of Modifications

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cavalli-Sforza, Luigi Luca and Cavalli-Sforza, Francesco. 1995. The Great Human Diasporas: The History of Diversity and Evolution. New York etal. Helix Books. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company

Frantz, Donald G. 1991. Blackfoot Grammar. Toronto: University of Toront of Press

and Russell, Norma Jean. 1989. Blackfoot Dictionary of Stems, Roots, and Affixes. Toronto: University of Toronto Press

Klimov, Georgij A. 1977. Tipologija Jazykov Aktivnogo Stroja. Moscow: Nauka

-------------------------1983. Printsipy Kontensivnoi Tipologij. Moscow: Nauka

Pokorny, Julius. 1959. Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch. Volume I. Bern and Munich: Francke Verlag

the latest revision of this document can be found at

HTTP://WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/Athens/Forum/2803/comparison.BLACKFOOT.11.htm

Patrick C. Ryan * 9115 West 34^th Street - Little Rock, AR 72204-4441* (501)227-9947

1. The most basic categories of Blackfoot are inanimate, indicated by reflexes of $O, "object, in the form of -i; and animate, indicated by reflexes of F[H]A, "circling around", a topicalizer, in the form of -o [see Morphology, (A45)].

2. -$O, pseudo-intransitive [see Morphology, (A45)].

3. Blackfoot Grammar. 1991. Toronto: University of Toronto Press