Re: What features do P-I-E languages have in common?

--- "Mark J. Reed" <markjreed@...> wrote:

> Okay, my goal is to design a family of
> languages that all descend
> from PIE, but have been completely isolated
> from all other members of that family
Sounds like my Talarian! It started out somewhere
between Indo-Hittite and I-E proper, and has been
influenced by Iranian and Sanskrit along the way.
It will be interesting to see what you come up
with!!

> So, my question: apart from the common
> vocabulary roots, are there
> any grammatical tendencies that are present
> more often in PIE languages than in non-PIE
> languages?
Certainly there are noun class types that are
widespread (-r stems, various vowel stems), case
endings (-s, -m), verbal morphology (-m(i),
-s(i), -t(i)).

Invest in Sihler's "Comparative Grammar of Latin
and Greek", as it has lots of nice (and up to
date) IE info, as well as comparisons with
Avestan and Sanskrit. Baldi's "Indtroduction to
the I-E Languages" is also a good source.

Padraic.


=====
beuyont alch geont la ciay la cina
mangeiont alch geont y faues la lima;
     pe' ne m' molestyont
     que faciont
doazque y facyont in rima.

.

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