The satem shift, Armenian siseṙn, and the early Indo-European of the Balkans
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Bill J. Darden
Abstract
The satem languages should have been contiguous and in a limited area at the time of the changes they share. The most likely area is the Russian steppe and immediately adjacent areas of the upper Balkans and Ukraine, between 3500 and 2500 BC. The location of Armenian at this time is somewhat controversial. Innovations/loan words like *īwōn ‘pillar’, shared with Greek, indicate at least geographic proximity before the satem change. The word *ier- is found, meaning ‘chickpea’ or ‘grass pea’. The grass pea, not the chickpea, is found in the satem area (the upper Balkans) in the proper time frame and may provide the original meaning. Since Armenian has this word with the satem reflex, siseṙn, we can argue that pre-Armenians were in the upper Balkans at the time of the satem change.
Abstract
The satem languages should have been contiguous and in a limited area at the time of the changes they share. The most likely area is the Russian steppe and immediately adjacent areas of the upper Balkans and Ukraine, between 3500 and 2500 BC. The location of Armenian at this time is somewhat controversial. Innovations/loan words like *īwōn ‘pillar’, shared with Greek, indicate at least geographic proximity before the satem change. The word *ier- is found, meaning ‘chickpea’ or ‘grass pea’. The grass pea, not the chickpea, is found in the satem area (the upper Balkans) in the proper time frame and may provide the original meaning. Since Armenian has this word with the satem reflex, siseṙn, we can argue that pre-Armenians were in the upper Balkans at the time of the satem change.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Part I. Structures and typologies
- Discourse semantics and the form of the verb predicate in Karachay-Balkar 3
- Typology and channel of communication 47
- Marking versus indexing 69
- Head-marking languages and linguistic theory 91
- Lessons of variability in clause coordination 125
- Noun classes grow on trees 153
- Affecting valence in Khumi 171
- Capturing diversity in language acquisition research 195
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Part II. Distributions in time and space
- Who inherits what, when? 219
- Polysynthesis in the Arctic/Sub-Arctic 241
- A (micro-)accretion zone in a remnant zone? 265
- A history of Iroquoian gender marking 283
- The satem shift, Armenian siseṙn, and the early Indo-European of the Balkans 299
- Penultimate lengthening in Bantu 309
- Culture and the spread of Slavic 331
- The syntax and pragmatics of Tungusic revisited 357
- Some observations on typological features of hunter-gatherer languages 383
- Typologizing phonetic precursors to sound change 395
- Distributional biases in language families 415
- The morphology of imperatives in Lak 445
- Subgrouping in Tibeto-Burman 463
-
Part III. A (cautionary) note on methodology
- Real data, contrived data, and the Yokuts Canon 477
- Language index 495
- Name index 499
- Subject index 505
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Part I. Structures and typologies
- Discourse semantics and the form of the verb predicate in Karachay-Balkar 3
- Typology and channel of communication 47
- Marking versus indexing 69
- Head-marking languages and linguistic theory 91
- Lessons of variability in clause coordination 125
- Noun classes grow on trees 153
- Affecting valence in Khumi 171
- Capturing diversity in language acquisition research 195
-
Part II. Distributions in time and space
- Who inherits what, when? 219
- Polysynthesis in the Arctic/Sub-Arctic 241
- A (micro-)accretion zone in a remnant zone? 265
- A history of Iroquoian gender marking 283
- The satem shift, Armenian siseṙn, and the early Indo-European of the Balkans 299
- Penultimate lengthening in Bantu 309
- Culture and the spread of Slavic 331
- The syntax and pragmatics of Tungusic revisited 357
- Some observations on typological features of hunter-gatherer languages 383
- Typologizing phonetic precursors to sound change 395
- Distributional biases in language families 415
- The morphology of imperatives in Lak 445
- Subgrouping in Tibeto-Burman 463
-
Part III. A (cautionary) note on methodology
- Real data, contrived data, and the Yokuts Canon 477
- Language index 495
- Name index 499
- Subject index 505
