How to compare Basque with Proto-

Proto-Indo-
Indo-European

Arnaud Fournet

The document describes the phonetic correspondences that exist between Basque and Proto-Indo-
European (PIE). 40 items of the basic vocabulary are presented together with a table of phonetic
correspondences.

• Preliminary clarifications

Before we proceed to the comparison of Basque and PIE, a few words about our framework and
the meaning of such a comparison are necessary. On the whole, we tend to adhere to the hypothesis
that all languages are most probably related to each other within a general super-family. For that
matter, there is no particular reason why Basque and PIE should not share a set of cognates. This
does not mean that Basque and PIE are especially related and that they should be grouped within a
new family to be created to account for the existence of cognates. Our opinion is that Basque is
basically a relique language which represents the continuation to the present-day of one variety of
Paleo-European proto-language which settled thousands of years ago between the Pyrenees and the
Garonne River. On the other side, PIE probably originates in Anatolia. These two languages have
cognates in common just because they represent independent and parallel transformations of what we
call Pixa (Proto-Exo-African). They represent two different branches and there is no reason to regroup
Basque with any other language, as Basque is the only representative of Paleo-European that still
exists nowadays. Needless to say that we do not believe in the different theories that claim to relate
Basque specifically to this or that subset of languages.

• Proto-Indo-European (PIE)

From a descriptive point of view, PIE is a set of graphemes, rules and items that account for the
recurrent phonetic isomorphisms that pervade some languages like Latin, Greek, Sanscrit, English,
etc., that are classified as Indo-European for that specific reason. In a fictionalist approach, PIE could
just be considered as a model that generates a large stock of words and grammatical paradigms of the
Indo-European languages. But most people hold PIE to be a prehistorical language which must have
existed in the past and which thereafter split and evolved into the attested Indo-European languages.
The most simple set of graphemes to describe PIE is :
- labials *b *p *bh *m
- dentals *d *t *dh *n
- palatals *ğ *ǩ *ğh
- velars *g *k *gh
- labio-velars *gw *kw *ghw
 - non-obstruents *w *s *y *r *l
- laryngeals *H1 *H2 *H3
- vowels *e *o *i *u
This set of graphemes requires some comments, the first of which is the issue of the nature of
these graphemes from a linguistic and phonological point of view. We have deliberately used the word
grapheme in order to emphasize that we do not accept the usual approach that each grapheme of the
PIE modelisation should be bijectively seen as one single proto-phoneme. On the whole the system
reconstructed for PIE is a coarse approximation of the system we believe existed in Pixa but when it
comes to a PIE-Basque comparison, this system is not far from sufficient as Basque underwent
simplification to an even more substantial extent than PIE.
Each grapheme contains an implicit hypothesis about the phoneme it is supposed to stand for. As
regards the phonetic values of some graphemes, the following comments can be made :
- *b stands for [pˀ], *ğ for [g] and *g for [kˀ],
- *d must be split into two different phonemes [d] and [tˀ],
- the distinction between *k and *ǩ is probably a secondary development of proto-(eastern)-IE,
- the so-called voiced aspirate *bh, *dh, *gh, *ğh were probably pre-nasalized phonemes,
- the vowel traditionally written *e was [a]. We do not believe in the existence of both *e and *a.

• The basic features of Basque

The general apparent opacity of Basque results from three major features :
- the first one is the change *l and *r > Basque *z,
- the second one is *d, *dh and *tˀ > *l, *rr and *r, respectively,
- the third one is frequent metathesis of CvCv into vCCv.
On the whole, these three basic features account for the typical look of many Basque lexemes and
they make it clear which words are inherited and which are borrowed. Anytime a Basque word has *r
or *l where PIE also has *r and *l, it can only be a borrowing or a wanderwort.
The next typical features are :
- a general deglottalization : *pˀ > p, *kˀ > k/g,
- voiceless stops became spirant : *p / t / k > *u / (t)z / h, sometimes *u > b and *z > d, under
Castillan's probable influence.
- aspirate : *gh(w) > h(u), *dh > -rr-.

• Examples of cognates

The examples of cognates are :

- Basque *adar 'horn' ~ PIE H2ent 'head'
- Basque *aho 'mouth' ~ PIE *gheu 'to gape' (if a- is a prefix)
- Basque *begi 'eye' ~ PIE *s-pek- 'to see'
- Basque *belhaun 'knee' ~ PIE *ped + PIE *genu
- Basque *bi-hotz 'heart' ~ PIE *kor-d- (it seems bi- is a prefix)
- Basque *i-bil-i 'to walk' ~ PIE *ped 'foot'
- Basque *bide 'road' ~ PIE *pent
- Basque *edan 'to drink' ~ PIE *egw
- Basque *i/e-kusi 'to see' ~ PIE *Hokw 'eye'
- Basque *elhur 'snow' ~ PIE *(s-)neighw
- Basque *erre 'to burn' ~ PIE *H2aidh
- Basque *erran 'to say' ~ PIE *menth 'mouth'
- Basque *eseri 'to sit' ~ PIE *sed
- Basque *esku 'hand' ~ PIE *deik 'finger' (if *deik > *edk > esk)
- Basque *euri 'rain' ~ PIE *(H)wed / *(H)ud (Cf. *hur)
- Basque *ezpain 'lip' ~ PIE *leb
- Basque *gibel / bigel 'liver' ~ PIE *yekw (unclear word ; bi- may be a prefix)
- Basque *guzi 'all' ~ PIE *kailo (∆ vowel)
- Basque *haize 'wind' ~ PIE *H2ew-il-a
- Basque *haritz 'oak-tree' ~ Greek ked-ros
- Basque *hau 'this' ~ PIE *ko / *gho
- Basque *hauts 'ashes' ~ PIE *H2es-
- Basque *hauts 'to break, tear' ~ PIE *(s-)keu- 'to cut, hack'
- Basque *hazi 'seed, to grow' ~ PIE *gher / *ghreH2no
- Basque *hel 'to bite' ~ PIE *H1ed 'to eat'
- Basque *hel 'to come, to arrive' ~ PIE *H2ed 'at, toward'
- Basque *(h)erro 'udder' ~ PIE *H1eudh
- Basque *herri 'inhabited place' ~ PIE *gherdh
- Basque *heugal 'abundant, to increase, multiply' ~ PIE H2ewg- (∆ LW ?)
- Basque *heze 'green' ~ PIE *gher
- Basque *hezur 'bone' ~ PIE Hosth-
- Basque *hil 'moon' ~ Latin i:dus 'month-middle'
- Basque *hobi 'gums' ~ PIE *gheu
- Basque *hoin 'foot' ~ PIE *konk 'heel'
- Basque *hon 'good' ~ PIE H1eu (∆ suffix)
- Basque *hortz 'tooth' ~ PIE *H1od-nt-
- Basque *hur 'water' ~ PIE *(H)wed / *(H)ud
- Basque *larru 'skin' ~ PIE *der- (∆ consonant)
- Basque *luze 'long, tall' ~ PIE *dol-
- Basque *n 'me, P1 ~ PIE *(H1e)gho
- Basque *no- 'who, when, what' ~ PIE *ghe 'pronoun'
- Basque *(h)orri 'leaf' ~ PIE H2endh 'flower'
- Basque *txiki 'small' ~ PIE Hleigo 'small, few' (with expressive *z > *tx)
- Basque *zanko 'leg' ~ PIE *legh
- Basque *ziho 'fat' ~ PIE *leip
- Basque *zorri 'louse' ~ PIE *lus

• Comparative data

Basque PIE Examples

p b [pˀ] *ezpain 'lip' ~ PIE *leb
*begi 'eye' ~ PIE *s-pek- 'to see' ; *i-bil-i 'to walk' ~ PIE *ped 'foot'
b/u p
*belhaun 'knee' ~ PIE *ped + *genu ; *bide 'road' ~ PIE *pent
*m ? bh
o/u w *hobi 'gums' ~ PIE *gheu ; *hon 'good' ~ PIE H1eu
*i-bil-i 'to walk' ~ PIE *ped 'foot' ; *belhaun 'knee' ~ PIE *ped + *genu
l d [d] *hil 'moon' ~ Latin i:dus 'month-middle' ; *luze 'long, tall' ~ PIE *dol
*hel 'to come, to arrive' ~ PIE *H2ed 'at, toward'
*euri 'rain' ~ PIE *(H)wed ; *hur 'water' ~ PIE *(H)wed
r d [tˀ]
*haritz 'oak-tree' ~ Greek ked-ros
d (tz) t *bide 'road' ~ PIE *pent ; *adar 'horn' ~ PIE H2ent 'head'
*erre 'to burn' ~ PIE *H2aidh ; *(h)erro 'udder' ~ PIE *H1eudh
rr dh *herri 'inhabited place' ~ PIE *gherdh ; *(h)orri 'leaf' ~ PIE H2endh 'flower'
*erran 'to say' ~ PIE *menth 'mouth'
s s *eseri 'to sit' ~ PIE *sed ; *hauts 'ashes' ~ PIE *H2es
nl n *elhur 'snow' ~ PIE *(s-)neighw
*ezpain 'lip' ~ PIE *leb ; *zorri 'louse' ~ PIE *lus
*haize 'wind' ~ PIE *H2ew-il-a ; *guzi 'all' ~ PIE *kailo
z (tx) l
*luze 'long, tall' ~ PIE *dol ; *txiki 'small' ~ PIE Hleig
*zanko 'leg' ~ PIE *legh ; *ziho 'fat' ~ PIE *leip
*bi-hotz 'heart' ~ PIE *kor-d- ; *haritz 'oak-tree' ~ Greek ked-ros
(t)z r *hazi 'seed, to grow' ~ PIE *gher / *ghreH2no ; *heze 'green' ~ PIE *gher
*hortz 'tooth' ~ PIE *H1od-nt-
kg g *guzi 'all' ~ PIE *kailo ; *txiki 'small' ~ PIE Hleig
d gw *edan 'to drink' ~ PIE *egw
*bi-hotz 'heart' ~ PIE *kor-d- ; *haritz 'oak-tree' ~ Greek ked-ros
h k *hauts 'to break, tear' ~ PIE *(s-)keu- 'to cut, hack
*hoin 'foot' ~ PIE *konk 'heel'
ku gu kw *i/e-kusi 'to see' ~ PIE *Hokw 'eye' ; *gibel / bigel 'liver' ~ PIE *yekw
*aho 'mouth' ~ PIE *gheu 'to gape' ; *hobi 'gums' ~ PIE *gheu
h ğh
*hazi 'seed, to grow' ~ PIE *gher / *ghreH2no ; *heze 'green' ~ PIE *gher
 *herri 'inhabited place' ~ PIE *gherdh ;
*n 'me, P1 ~ PIE *(H1e)gho ; *no- 'who, when, what' ~ PIE *ghe
n gh
*zanko 'leg' ~ PIE *legh
hu ghw *elhur 'snow' ~ PIE *(s-)neighw
*hel 'to bite' ~ PIE *H1ed 'to eat' ; *hon 'good' ~ PIE H1eu
h H1
*hortz 'tooth' ~ PIE *H1od-nt- ; *i/e-kusi 'to see' ~ PIE *Hokw 'eye'
*haize 'wind' ~ PIE *H2ew-il-a ; *hauts 'ashes' ~ PIE *H2es
*hel 'to come, to arrive' ~ PIE *H2ed 'at, toward' ;
h H2 [γ]
*hezur 'bone' ~ PIE Hosth- ; *hur 'water' ~ PIE *(H)wed
*(h)orri 'leaf' ~ PIE H2endh 'flower' ;
e/i y *erre 'to burn' ~ PIE *H2aidh
/ H2 [?] *adar 'horn' ~ PIE H2ent 'head' ; *erre 'to burn' ~ PIE *H2aidh
/ m *erran 'to say' ~ PIE *menth 'mouth'