Caland system
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
The Caland system is a set of rules in the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language which describes how certain words, typically adjectives, are derived from one another.[1] It was named after Dutch Indologist Willem Caland (1859-1932), who first formulated part of the system.
The cognates derived from these roots in different daughter languages often do not agree in formation, but show certain characteristic properties:[2][3]
- Adjectives are formed using zero-ablaut ro-stems (i.e., word stems ending in *-ro), u-stems, or amphikinetic[3] nt-stems.
- Adjectives are sometimes formed using i-stems, especially in the first part of a compound.
- Corresponding stative verbs in *-eh₁- often exist.
Contents
Examples
Example 1
*h₁le(n)gʷʰ- 'light (in weight)':
- ro-stems: Ancient Greek elaphrós 'light, quick'; Old High German lungar 'fast'
- u-stems: Ancient Greek elakhús 'small'; Sanskrit laghú-, raghú- 'quick, light, small'; Avestan ragu- 'fast'; Latin levis 'light' < *h₁legʷʰ-us; Lithuanian lengvùs 'light'; Old Church Slavonic легъкъ (legŭkŭ) 'light'
Example 2
*h₂erǵ- 'white':
- ro-stems: Ancient Greek argós < *argrós 'white'; Sanskrit ṛjrá- 'brilliant'
- u-stems: Tocharian B ārkwi 'white'
- i-stems: Ancient Greek argi-kéraunos 'with bright lightning'
- nt-stems: Old Irish argat, Old Welsh argant, Latin argentum
Example 3
*h₁rewdʰ- 'red':
- ro-stems: Ancient Greek eruthrós 'red'; Latin ruber 'red'; Tocharian B ratre 'red'; Old East Slavic родръ (rodrŭ) 'red'
- i-stems: Sanskrit rudhiras (mixed with ro-stem)
- -eh₁ verbs: Latin rubeō 'be red', Old High German rōtēn 'shine red'; Old East Slavic ръдѣти сѧ (rŭděti sę) 'become red, be red'
Example 4
*bʰerǵʰ- 'high':
- ro-stems: Tocharian B pärkare 'high'
- u-stems: Hittite parku- 'high'; Armenian barjr 'high' < *-u-[3]
- i-stems: Avestan bǝrǝzi- 'high' in compounds
- nt-stems: Sanskrit bṛhánt- 'high', Avestan bǝrǝzant- 'high', Germanic name Burgund-, Irish name Brigit, Tocharian A koṃ-pärkānt 'sunrise'[3]
Example 5
*dʰewb- 'deep':
- ro-stems: Tocharian B tapre 'high' < *dʰub-ro-
- u-stems: Lithuanian dubùs 'hollow'
