LNG 201/ENGL 202
Prof. G. Steinberg
Grimm's Law
Fill in the missing English words in the chart below.
| Proto-Indo-European | Latin | English Borrowing | Germanic English Word |
| p, d | pedes | pedestrian |
|
| gh | hospes | hospitality |
|
| p | plenus | plenitude |
|
| d, t | dentes | dentist |
|
| k | caput (c = k) | capital |
|
| g | genu | genuflect |
|
| k, d | corde (c = k) | cordial |
|
| g | gens | genetic |
|
| k | cornu (c = k) | unicorn |
|
| t | tendere | extend |
|
| d | edo | edible |
|
| bh | flare | inflate |
|
| p | nepos | nepotism |
|
| g | glacies | glacial |
|
| gh | hortus | horticulture |
|
| p | paucus | paucity |
|
| *grno- | granum | granary |
|
| *bher/o | fero | transfer |
|
| *dem- | domare | domesticate |
|
| *tr- | trans | transfer |
|
| *treud- | trudo | intrude |
|
| *bheidh- | fides | fidelity |
|
| *grem- | grex | congregate |
|
| *gno- | cognoscere | cognition |
|
| *kel- | culmen (c = k) | culminate, column |
|
| *merg- | margo | margin |
|
| *ned- | nodus | node |
|
| *pal- | palpari | palpable |
|
Examine the following data from seven mystery languages. Four of the languages are Indo-European; two are Germanic; two of the non-Indo-European languages are closely related to one another. Which languages are which?
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| madre | awwa | móðir | mat’ | annat | mother | amma |
| padre | tande | faðir | otec | abbat | father | achchan |
| occhio | kannu | auga | glaz | ajn | eye | kannu |
| piede | kalu | fótur | noga | agar | foot | kal |
| uno | ondu | einn | odin | and | one | oru |
| tre | muru | ðrir | tri | sost | three | munnu |
| mese | tingalu | mánaður | mesyac | wár | month | nela |
Examine the vocabulary of the following language, which has probably
not been spoken in 1500 years. Would you say that this language was Indo-European?
Would you say that it was Germanic? Why or why not?
| áithei | "mother" | kuni | "lineage" |
| ibna | "equal" | dissitan | "to seize upon" |
| akrs | "field" | gaumjan | "to observe" |
| matjan | "to eat" | brothar | "brother" |
| fotus | "foot" | naus | "corpse" |
| fisks | "fish" | thiuda | "people" |
| menoths | "month" | twa | "two" |
| threis | "three" | fadrein | "parents" |
| atta | "father" | bairan | "to bear" |
| waurts | "root" | hairto | "heart" |
| saian | "to sow" | fraisan | "to tempt" |
Look at the following list of reconstructed Indo-European roots and
their supposed meanings. Given the typical sound changes of Grimm's Law,
what English words are probably descended from these Indo-European forms
(words that show the changes of Grimm's Law)? What English words are probably
later borrowings from non-Germanic Indo-European languages (words that don't
show the changes of Grimm's Law)? For example, from the Indo-European root
*agro, we got our English word "acre," but we also got "agriculture" -- borrowed
later from
Latin (a non-Germanic Indo-European language). NOTE: Some words don't have any of the
sounds affected by Grimm's Law; for such words, just think about what English
words could be descended from them.
| Proto-Indo-European | Supposed Meaning | Proto-Indo-European | Supposed Meaning |
| *agro | field | *gwou | bull |
| *kwon | dog | *medhu | honey |
| *pel | skin | *yeug | to join together |
| *reg | to rule | *med | to measure |
| *webh | to weave | *ara | to plow |
| *bhreu | to boil | *su | pig |
| *bhugo | male goat | *gena | to give birth |
| *bher | to carry | *se: | to plant seeds |
| *ambhi | around | *per- | to risk |
What does this list of words reveal about the possible lifestyle of the people who spoke the original Indo-European language?
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