Dacian language: Encyclopedia II - Dacian language - Sound changes from PIE

Dacian language - Sound changes from PIE

Dacian appears to have been a Satem language. The treatment of the three Proto-Indo-European dorsal consonant rows in Dacian however is not consistent, or else some examples do not pertain to Dacian. There are a number Dacian examples for instance which show the sound-changes characteristic of satem languages (Aizisis <PIE *aig-, 'goat', etc.), while some others show a centum-reflex (Decebalus <PIE *dekm-, 'ten'; <PIE *bel-, 'strong'; cf. Sanskrit dasabala).

The voiced aspirated consonants *bʰ- and *dʰ- in Proto-Indo-European became voiced unaspirated consonants: b, d (Dacian -dava<PIE *dʰe-, "to set, place", etc.). PIE *b- remained b (Dacian -balus; kinuboila<-uboila<PIE *abel-, etc.), and *d remained d- (Dacian Decebalus etc.).

A correspondance found between Dacian and Thracian is a vowel variation, a (Dacian)/e (Thracian). Cf. Dacian Zalm- (<Zalmoxis ^[1]), Thracian zelmis (<PIE *kel-, "to cover"), "hide, skin"; Dacian Zald- (<Zaldapa), Thracian zēltas (<PIE *ghel-, "to shine"); reconstructed Dacian *barz- (<Romanian barză, "stork"), Thracian Berz- (<Berzobis, Berzana; PIE *bherəg-, "white"); v. Olteanu et al. This is one of a number of evidences for a Daco-Thracian branch of Indo-European, a grouping which is challenged by other linguists.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Sound changes from PIE", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki