*kW- "?"

> One can make an interesting semantic parallel between
> the usages of *-yo- and that of Mandarin /de/. In
> both cases, it is used as both a relative pronoun
> and apparently a genitive function. In Mandarin,
> /wo3 de/ means "mine" but /Nei4-ge pao4 le zai
> tu3shu1guan3 de ren2/ means "That person _who_ ran
> to the library", making a relative clause.

Mandarin 'de' is used in exactly the same way as Basque 'ko', which is
otherwise a diminutive suffix, namely as 'clause + -ko + sentence' I
believe a Vasconic substrate caused the formation in IE of similar
constructions: 'clause + ko + demonstrative + sentence' where *ko (>
*kW-) and the demonstrative later merged . Hence the PIE *kW-
relatives and interrogatives. The relative pronoun (eg. 'kuis' "who")
has kept the position after the clause it governs in Hittitet.


Torsten