How words diverge from a common root Indo-European Roots How words diverge from a common root

Similarities Between Languages Chance/Accidental Universal Features of Human Language -ex. Cuckoo and ruff Borrowings -ex. Tortilla -ex. Latin ad nauseum -ex. Greek agora

Comparative Method “One fact and one hypothesis” - Fact: Similarities between certain languages are so numerous that there must be another explanation. - Hypothesis: These languages must derive from a common ancestor. “Genetically related”

“Daughter-in-law” Sanskrit: snusaa* Old English: snoru Old Church Slavonic: snǔkha Russian: snokhá Latin: nurus Greek: nuós Armenian: nu

The First Consonant(s)

First Vowel

Consonant following Vowel

Ending

Accent

*snusos = ‘daughter-in-law’ Comparative method explains differences in forms through reconstruction of a prototype No single language in the Indo-European family preserves word intact from the Proto-Indo-European Cultural significance

Steps of the Comparative Method 1) Assemble cognate lists 2) Establish correspondence sets 3) Discover complements 4) Reconstruct proto-phonemes 5) Examine the reconstructed system

Proto-Indo-European PIE roots don’t always resemble modern English 2,000+ IE root words

Root: ar- Meaning: to fit together Derivatives: Army Hatred Harmony Inert Aristocracy Adorn Hatred Rite Arithmetic Rhyme

Guess the PIE root Tory Pursuit Rodeo Rotary Rotate Roulette Control Prune

Ret - To run, roll 1) rota – Latin, wheel 2) rotundus – Latin, round

Can You Guess the Modern Words? THE ROOT PERD-

To Fart Old English: feortan Germanic: fertan Sanskrit: pard Lithuanian: perdzu Russian: perdet To break wind To fool around; To fritter away

Partridge Middle English: partrich Old French: perdriz Greek: perdix Portuguese: perdiz Italian: perdice “They include primarily the 40 to 45 species of the genera Perdix, Alectoris, and Francolinus” (www.4to40.com). Perdix=Genera The taxonomical ranking OED: perh the noise made by the bird as it flies away