Questions tagged [proto-world]
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7
questions
-4
votes
1answer
82 views
What's the reconstruction of the word for fire in proto-Australian?
The word for fire in some modern Australian languages:
Tiwi yikwani
Djinang junggi
Maung yungku
Walmajarri yakun
This is strikingly similar to that in PIE:
PIE h₁...
-6
votes
1answer
57 views
What idea(s) do you have of 'Proto' in discussions in linguistics? [closed]
I've always been interested in the concept of 'proto' - for sort of artistic or conceptual reasons (or for conceptual art aspects). I had thought a few years ago about an art or photo or writing ...
1
vote
2answers
315 views
Could the proto-human language still play a role in the interlingual communication?
I've read several studies about sound symbolism and I'm still not sure whether I got an insight into the topic. I know that today's view of most of the linguists is skeptical towards sound symbolism ...
2
votes
2answers
3k views
Is there any language which doesn't have “hello”, “thank you” or “please”? [closed]
If so, is there seen some relation (origin in the Proto-Human language), or did these phrases arose independently?
1
vote
3answers
2k views
Is Austronesian the closest relative to PIE?
Austronesian is usually regarded as a separate family, not related to any other. It is never groupped into Eurasiatic or Nostratic. Yet it seems to me that it may be related to PIE. I wonder whether ...
47
votes
4answers
12k views
Why do most words for “mother”, across languages, start with an [m], and for “father” with [p]/[b], but not vice versa?
It has been observed that in general, a word for "mother" tends to be based on a bilabial nasal [m] or similar consonant, and for father it tends to be [b] or [p]. This is found in many language ...
28
votes
4answers
4k views
Do the Khoisan languages resemble the world's first language?
I have read somewhere that if there ever was a world's first language*, that language must have had very much in common** with the Khoisan languages. Arguments in support of this hypothesis are:
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