The Indo-European Origins of Sanskrit (Endnote to Nation) @Alliterative

Alliterative Some details on the vowels of Sanskrit and how they demonstrate that it is descended from an early proto-language that is also the source of other Indo-European languages, adding to the information in our video on Nation: youtu.be/Fgkg0LGUnOs

Thank you to all our Patreon supporters! Please check out our Patreon: patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot

Endless Knot merchandise can be found in our store: redbubble.com/people/EndlessKnot

Show notes & credits: http://www.alliterative.net/nation

Website: http://www.alliterative.net
Twitter: twitter.com/alliterative
Facebook: facebook.com/alliterativeendlessknot
Tumbler: http://alliterative-endlessknot.tumblr.com
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/alliterative
Podcast: http://www.alliterative.net/podcast or itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/endless-knot-podcast-endless/id1016322923?mt=2

Click here to sign up for our video email list, to be notified when new videos are posted: http://eepurl.com/6YuJv
Click here to sign up for our podcast email list, to be notified when new podcast episodes go up:
http://eepurl.com/btmBZT

Transcript:
Welcome to the Endnotes, where I put all the fun facts I can’t fit into the main videos! Today, some extra bits of information from my video about Nation — and if you haven’t seen that yet, click on the card.
In that video I briefly mentioned some of the linguistic arguments against an Out of India origin for the Proto-Indo-European language and language family. Here’s a little more detail on how the vowels found in Sanskrit and other Indo-European languages indicate that Sanskrit must have come from a common source with the other Indo-European languages and is not itself the source of the language family. Sanskrit has the primary vowels /a/, /i/, and /u/. These were originally assumed to be the original vowels in the proto-language, and /i/ and /u/ in Sanskrit correspond to those same vowels consistently in the cognate words in other languages. But /a/ in Sanskrit corresponds seemingly randomly with /a/, /e/, and /o/ in the cognates, and coming up with a regular sound change to explain this has proved difficult. However, if instead we assume that the proto-language had the original vowels /a/, /e/, and /o/ which were preserved as distinct in some of the IE sub-branches but changed as they developed into the Indic branch, that would solve the problem. With the comparative reconstruction of PIE, philologists further noticed evidence for a sound change of /e/ sometimes becoming /a/ or /o/. To explain this it was proposed that there must have been laryngeal sounds, that is, something like a /h/, present in proximity to those vowels, which came in three types, h1 which was neutral and didn’t change the /e/, h2 which was a-colouring and changed the /e/ to /a/, and h3 which was o-colouring and changed the /e/ to /o/, but in all cases these laryngeals had disappeared before any IE language then known was recorded, including Sanskrit—meaning that Sanskrit couldn’t be the “original” language. The real strength of the laryngeal theory is that when the Hittite language was later deciphered and shown to be an IE language, it was discovered to have preserved some of these laryngeal sounds, thus demonstrating that it must have branched off very early, preserving some of these and other archaisms. This clearly makes it relatively older than Sanskrit and the whole Indic branch of IE.
As always, you can hear even more etymology and history, as well as interviews with a wide range of fascinating people, on the Endless Knot Podcast, available on all the major podcast platforms as well as our other YouTube channel. Thanks for watching!

updated 2 years ago

The Indo-European Origins of Sanskrit (Endnote to Nation)

Alliterative 2022-01-19 | Some details on the vowels of Sanskrit and how they demonstrate that it is descended from an early proto-language that is also the source of other Indo-European languages, adding to the information in our video on Nation: youtu.be/Fgkg0LGUnOs

Thank you to all our Patreon supporters! Please check out our Patreon: patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot

Endless Knot merchandise can be found in our store: redbubble.com/people/EndlessKnot

Show notes & credits: http://www.alliterative.net/nation

Website: http://www.alliterative.net
Twitter: twitter.com/alliterative
Facebook: facebook.com/alliterativeendlessknot
Tumbler: http://alliterative-endlessknot.tumblr.com
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/alliterative
Podcast: http://www.alliterative.net/podcast or itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/endless-knot-podcast-endless/id1016322923?mt=2

Click here to sign up for our video email list, to be notified when new videos are posted: http://eepurl.com/6YuJv
Click here to sign up for our podcast email list, to be notified when new podcast episodes go up:
http://eepurl.com/btmBZT

Transcript:
Welcome to the Endnotes, where I put all the fun facts I can’t fit into the main videos! Today, some extra bits of information from my video about Nation — and if you haven’t seen that yet, click on the card.
In that video I briefly mentioned some of the linguistic arguments against an Out of India origin for the Proto-Indo-European language and language family. Here’s a little more detail on how the vowels found in Sanskrit and other Indo-European languages indicate that Sanskrit must have come from a common source with the other Indo-European languages and is not itself the source of the language family. Sanskrit has the primary vowels /a/, /i/, and /u/. These were originally assumed to be the original vowels in the proto-language, and /i/ and /u/ in Sanskrit correspond to those same vowels consistently in the cognate words in other languages. But /a/ in Sanskrit corresponds seemingly randomly with /a/, /e/, and /o/ in the cognates, and coming up with a regular sound change to explain this has proved difficult. However, if instead we assume that the proto-language had the original vowels /a/, /e/, and /o/ which were preserved as distinct in some of the IE sub-branches but changed as they developed into the Indic branch, that would solve the problem. With the comparative reconstruction of PIE, philologists further noticed evidence for a sound change of /e/ sometimes becoming /a/ or /o/. To explain this it was proposed that there must have been laryngeal sounds, that is, something like a /h/, present in proximity to those vowels, which came in three types, h1 which was neutral and didn’t change the /e/, h2 which was a-colouring and changed the /e/ to /a/, and h3 which was o-colouring and changed the /e/ to /o/, but in all cases these laryngeals had disappeared before any IE language then known was recorded, including Sanskrit—meaning that Sanskrit couldn’t be the “original” language. The real strength of the laryngeal theory is that when the Hittite language was later deciphered and shown to be an IE language, it was discovered to have preserved some of these laryngeal sounds, thus demonstrating that it must have branched off very early, preserving some of these and other archaisms. This clearly makes it relatively older than Sanskrit and the whole Indic branch of IE.
As always, you can hear even more etymology and history, as well as interviews with a wide range of fascinating people, on the Endless Knot Podcast, available on all the major podcast platforms as well as our other YouTube channel. Thanks for watching!

Bid/Bead #etymology

Alliterative 2023-07-12 | The surprisingly connected origins of "bid" and "bead".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #bid #bead

Hesitate/Adhesive #etymology

Alliterative 2023-07-05 | The surprisingly connected origins of "hesitate" and "adhesive".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #hesitate #adhesive

Trans/Cis/Gender/Through/Harass/Kind #Etymology

Alliterative 2023-06-28 | The surprisingly connected origins of "Trans" "Cis" "Gender" "Through" "Harass" and "Kind". 🏳️‍⚧️

#pridemonth

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #trans #cis #gender #through #thorough #harass #kind

Gay/Vague #Etymology

Alliterative 2023-06-21 | The surprisingly connected origins of "gay" and "vague". 🏳️‍🌈

#pridemonth

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #gay #vague

Queer/Thwart #etymology

Alliterative 2023-06-14 | The surprisingly connected origins of "queer" and "thwart". 🏳️‍🌈
#pridemonth #etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #queer #thwart

Pride/Represent #etymology

Alliterative 2023-06-07 | The surprisingly connected origins of "pride" and "represent". 🏳️‍🌈

#pridemonth #etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #pride #represent

Mow/Aftermath #etymology

Alliterative 2023-05-31 | The surprisingly connected origins of "mow" and "aftermath". #NoMowMay

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #mow #aftermath

Sarcophagus/Pagoda #etymology

Alliterative 2023-05-24 | The surprisingly connected origins of "sarcophagus" and "pagoda".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #sarcophagus #pagoda

Occasion/Cheat #etymology

Alliterative 2023-05-17 | The surprisingly connected origins of "occasion" and "cheat".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #occasion #cheat

Chaste/Castle #etymology

Alliterative 2023-05-10 | The surprisingly connected origins of "chaste" and "castle".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #chaste #castle

King/Genealogy #etymology

Alliterative 2023-05-03 | The surprisingly connected origins of "king" and "genealogy".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #lingcomm #king #coronation #genealogy

Coerce/Exercise #etymology

Alliterative 2023-04-26 | The surprisingly connected origins of "coerce" and "exercise".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #coerce #exercise

Calm/Ink #etymology

Alliterative 2023-04-19 | The surprisingly connected origins of "calm" and "ink".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #calm #ink

Bleach/Black #etymology

Alliterative 2023-04-12 | The surprisingly connected origins of "bleach" and "black".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #bleach #black

Envy/View #etymology

Alliterative 2023-04-05 | The surprisingly connected origins of "envy" and "view".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #envy #view

Easy/Reject #etymology

Alliterative 2023-03-29 | The surprisingly connected origins of "easy" and "reject".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #easy #reject

Zoo/Biology #etymology

Alliterative 2023-03-22 | The surprisingly connected origins of "zoo" and "biology".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #zoo #biology

Leprechaun/Lung #etymology

Alliterative 2023-03-15 | The surprisingly connected origins of "leprechaun" and "lung".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #leprechaun #leprechauns #lung #lungs #SaintPatricksDay #StPatricksDay #StPaddysDay

Joust/Yoga #Etymology

Alliterative 2023-03-08 | The surprisingly connected origins of "joust" and "yoga".

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #yoga #jousting

Bugle/Bulimia #etymology

Alliterative 2023-03-01 | The surprisingly connected origins of "bugle" and "bulimia".

#etymology #wordnerd #linguistics #language

Apothecary/Boutique/Bodega #etymology

Alliterative 2023-02-22 | The surprisingly connected origins of "apothecary", "boutique", and "bodega".

#etymology #wordnerd #language #linguistics #apothecary #boutique #bodega

Modern/Medicine #etymology

Alliterative 2023-02-15 | The surprisingly connected origins of "modern" and "medicine".

#etymology #linguistics

LingFest23 Q&A Livestream

Alliterative 2023-02-13 | We're taking part in LingFest23, a celebration of linguistic communication. Come hang out with us and ask us about etymology, the history of English, and more!

lingcomm.org/lingfest

Thank you to all our Patreon supporters! Please check out our Patreon: patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot

Endless Knot merchandise can be found in our store: redbubble.com/people/EndlessKnot

Show notes & credits: http://www.alliterative.net
Transcript: http://www.alliterative.net

Website: http://www.alliterative.net
Twitter: twitter.com/alliterative
Facebook: facebook.com/alliterativeendlessknot
Tumbler: http://alliterative-endlessknot.tumblr.com
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/alliterative
Podcast: http://www.alliterative.net/podcast or itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/endless-knot-podcast-endless/id1016322923?mt=2

Click here to sign up for our video email list, to be notified when new videos are posted: http://eepurl.com/6YuJv
Click here to sign up for our podcast email list, to be notified when new podcast episodes go up:
http://eepurl.com/btmBZT

Bishop/Spy #etymology

Alliterative 2023-02-08 | The surprisingly connected origins of "bishop" and "spy".

#etymology #linguistics #historicallinguistics #language #words #wordnerd #lingcomm #bishop #spy

Album/Auburn #etymology

Alliterative 2023-02-01 | The surprisingly connected origins of 'album' and 'auburn'.

#etymology #WordNerd #linguistics #HistoricalLinguistics #language #words #album #auburn

Bacterium/Imbecile #etymology

Alliterative 2023-01-25 | The surprisingly connected etymologies of bacterium and imbecile.

#etymology #wordnerd #linguistics #language #historicallinguistics #words #bacterium #imbecile

Moist/Smuggle Etymologies

Alliterative 2023-01-18 | The surprisingly connected etymologies of 'moist' and 'smuggle' and more.

#etymology #words #language #linguistics #historicallinguistics #wordnerd #moist #smuggle

Short/Skirt Etymologies

Alliterative 2023-01-11 | The surprisingly connected origins of 'short' and 'skirt'.

#etymology

Ornament/Order Etymologies

Alliterative 2023-01-04 | The surprisingly connected etymologies of 'ornament' and 'order'.

#etymology #christmas

Resolution/Lose Etymologies

Alliterative 2022-12-28 | The surprisingly connected etymologies of 'resolution' and 'lose'.

#etymology #NewYears #newyear2023

Drummers Drumming Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-24 | The etymologies of the twelfth gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, drummers.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Pipers Piping Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-23 | The etymology of the eleventh gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas", pipers.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Lords A-Leaping Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-22 | The etymology of the tenth gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas", lords.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Ladies Dancing Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-21 | The etymology of the ninth gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, ladies.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Maids A-Milking Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-20 | The etymology of the eighth gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, maids.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Swans A-Swimming Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-19 | The etymology of the seventh gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, swans.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Geese A-Laying Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-18 | The etymology of the sixth gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, geese a-laying.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Gold Rings Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-17 | The etymology of the fifth gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, gold rings.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Calling Birds Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-16 | The etymology of the fourth gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, calling birds.

#etymology #christmas #12daysofchristmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

French Hens Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-15 | The etymology of the third gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, French hens.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Turtledoves Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-14 | The etymology of the second gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, turtledoves.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Partridge in a Pear Tree Etymology

Alliterative 2022-12-13 | The etymology of the first gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" carol, the partridge in a pear tree.

#etymology #12daysofchristmas #christmas #12EtymologiesOfXmas

(Note: we know that the 12 Days historically start after Christmas, but everyone's done with Christmas themed stuff by then nowadays)

Yule/Joke Etymologies

Alliterative 2022-12-07 | The surprisingly connected etymologies of 'Yule' and 'joke'.

#etymology #christmas #yule

Coffee, Insurance, and Mathematics: Average [Supercut]

Alliterative 2022-12-06 | We've cut together our 3-part series on the etymology of "Average" from 2017 into one full-length episode. This takes us from the history of maritime insurance and its connection to Islamic science to the origins of coffee, from the development of the mathematics of probability, early astronomy, to the first property insurance, and from the development of statistics to the first life insurance, and Beowulf!

Thank you to our newest Patreon supporter, Alyson S.! Please check out our Patreon: patreon.com/TheEndlessKnot

Endless Knot merchandise can be found in our store: redbubble.com/people/EndlessKnot

Show notes & credits: http://www.alliterative.net/average
Transcript: http://www.alliterative.net/average-transcript

Website: http://www.alliterative.net
Twitter: twitter.com/alliterative
Facebook: facebook.com/alliterativeendlessknot
Tumbler: http://alliterative-endlessknot.tumblr.com
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/alliterative
Podcast: http://www.alliterative.net/podcast or itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/endless-knot-podcast-endless/id1016322923?mt=2

Click here to sign up for our video email list, to be notified when new videos are posted: http://eepurl.com/6YuJv
Click here to sign up for our podcast email list, to be notified when new podcast episodes go up:
http://eepurl.com/btmBZT

Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:39 Early astronomy & Ptolemy
00:02:23 Etymology of 'average'
00:03:35 Early roots of maritime insurance
00:05:14 Etymology and origins of coffee
00:06:07 Coffeehouses
00:06:40 Origin of Lloyd's of London
00:08:15 Etymologies of 'likely', 'chance', 'probability'
00:09:05 Origins of probability mathematics
00:10:31 The problem of points
00:12:12 Etymologies of 'gamble', 'luck', 'speed'
00:14:17 Solution to the problem of points
00:16:24 Early astronomy and mathematics
00:18:19 Development of property insurance
00:20:37 Early forms of life insurance and statistics
00:22:05 Etymology of 'statistics'
00:23:06 Development of statistics and demography
00:27:12 First life insurance company
00:30:22 First stock exchanges
00:32:10 Etymologies of 'bull' and 'bear'
00:33:15 Beowulf & Beowulf clusters

Advent/Diabetes Etymologies

Alliterative 2022-11-30 | The surprisingly connected etymologies of "Advent" and "diabetes".

#etymology #advent #christmas

How the turkey got to Europe (excerpt from Alliteratives video Turkey)

Alliterative 2022-11-24 | Some history of the #turkey for #thanksgiving

Full video here: youtube.com/watch?v=He-wNRtBuRM

Turkey/Turquoise Etymologies

Alliterative 2022-11-23 | The (un?)surprising connection between the etymologies of 'turkey' and 'turquoise'. #thanksgiving #turkey #turkeyday

Turkeys at #Thanksgiving (excerpt from Alliterative’s video Turkey)

Alliterative 2022-11-17 | The myths around the first #Thanksgiving and the #turkey

Full video here: youtube.com/watch?v=He-wNRtBuRM

Thumb/Thigh Etymologies

Alliterative 2022-11-16 | The surprisingly connected origins of 'thumb' and 'thigh'

#etymology #linguistics #language #wordnerd #words #historicallinguistics #thumb #thigh

Fool/Ballot Etymologies

Alliterative 2022-11-08 | The surprisingly connected etymologies of 'fool' and 'ballot'.

#election2022 #election