Real ablaut

Ablaut

This is my idea of how some the ablaut phenomena happened.
The phonological rules are pretty close to what Miguel has
proposed for PPIE.

PPIE had three short (i, u, a)
and three long (i:, u:, a:) vowels
It had the following occlusives
b Mb p
d Nd t
g N,g k

In the following, K stands for g, N,g and k.
Stress alternation caused the following syllable
alternations:
PPIE
*KúC-/*KWC-´
*KíC-/*K´-´
*KáC-/*KC-´

*Kú:C-/*KuC-´
*Kí:C-/*KiC-´
*Ká:C-/*KaC-´

->

*KúC-/*KWC-´
*KíC-/*K^C-´
*KáC-/*KC-´

*KouC-/*KuC-´
*KeiC-/*KiC-´
*Ke:C-/*KeC-´

as for the short vowels, by analogy
->

*KWeC-/*KWC-´
*K^eC-/*K^C-´
*KeC-/*KC´

That gives us the standard PIE system.
But I don't think that's what happened to the short vowels.

In the kentum languages
->

*KWéC-/*KWC-´
*KéC-/*KC-´
*KéC-/*KC-´

And in the satem languages
->

*KéC-/*KC-´
*K^éC-/*K^C-´
*KéC-/*KC-´

(and some time later:
b Mb p -> bH b p
d Nd t -> dH d t
g^ Ng^ k^ -> g^H g^ k^
g N,g k -> gH g k
gW N,gW kW -> gWH gW kW
)

That is actually just the latest manifestation of my hobby
horse: Kentum and satem are the result of regularisation of
alternating paradigms, not predestined in the set of phonemes.


The root constraints are understood best from the zero grade:

No DT or TD (voicedness must match, or: is enforced) or
NdNd (only one prenasalised).


Torsten