This is a kvetch about Beekes' book as he appears in English
guise.
From R.S.P. Beekes' book, Comparative Indo-European Linguistics: An
Introduction (John Benjamins, 1995):
--start quote--
The most important categorizations of inflectional types which can be made
is that in ā-, o- and consonant stems (C-stems), the Greek and
Latin 1st, 2nd, and 3rd declensions. [13.2.4, p.175]
--end quote--
I have had to read and re-read this sentence to make sense of it. The fault
is not mine but that of Paul Gabiner, the translator. I was left looking for an
object where the period occured until I decided the translation itself is
defective. You have to construe the prepositions in rather rare senses, and
then mentally repunctuate the whole thing, among other things.
Rewrite:
The most important category of inflectional types is that of the
ā-, o- and consonant stems (C-stems) -- the Greek and Latin
1st, 2nd, and 3rd declensions.
As I get more deeply into the densely packed quantities of information
Beekes presents, particularly on ablaut and the IE noun/adjective -- and
consequently, practically parse every sentence there -- Gabiner's English gets
in the way.
Here endeth the kvetch.
Mark.