Groucho Marxism
Questions and answers on socialism, Marxism, and related topics
Category: Linguistics
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In an ever-expanding series of recent blog posts I have argued, based on data compiled by Lars Steensland in his 1973 PhD thesis, that Proto-Indo-European – henceforth PIE – had two rather than three types of velar consonant: plain velars and labiovelars. I have also set out the phonological rules by which the plain velars…
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In a series of recent blog posts I have argued that Proto-Indo-European (PIE) had just two types of velar consonant: plain velars and labiovelars. It has been claimed that there is evidence for three distinct types of velar being preserved in Albanian and in the Luvian branch of Anatolian. The theory that three types of…
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In a previous blog post I argued that Proto-Indo-European (PIE) had two types of velar in word-initial position: plain velars and labiovelars. In the satem languages, labiovelars were delabialized and plain velars were palatalized apart from after *s, and before *r, *s, and *H₂; palatalization was also blocked before *l in Albanian and *lo in…
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In a recent blog post I argued, based on data collated by Lars Steensland in his 1973 PhD thesis, that his proposed word-initial delabialization before *o occurred separately in the western Indo-European languages rather than in Proto-Indo-European (see that post for more details). This supports the hypothesis that PIE only two types of velar consonant…
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In a previous blog post I explained how Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is usually reconstructed with three types of velar constant, which are referred to as palatovelars, plain velars, and labiovelars. I also mentioned that in 1973, Lars Steensland demonstrated a complimentary distribution between the three types of velar. Steensland first showed that in word-initial position, only…
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A debate is currently being waged over the use of gender-neutral pronouns such as ‘they’ and ‘them’, especially when they are used to refer to individuals who identify outside the traditional gender binary. This is part of the wider debate on trans rights, which for reasons that are difficult to fathom seems to have some…
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A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor, referred to as the proto-language. The Indo-European languages form a particularly large language family comprising of languages native to most of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. The proto-language of the Indo-European languages is referred to as…
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It is generally agreed that English spelling is a mess. There is less agreement about whether anything should be done about it. To be sure, we can all agree that there are good reasons to reform English spelling. It would make English easier to learn to read, write, and pronounce, as well as making it…
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Language is arguably mankind’s greatest invention. It has enabled us surpass other large-bodied predators like lions and wolves in our ability to command the environment. This is all the more remarkable when you consider that our senses are pathetically weak compared with other species. Could these two facts related? That is, could it be that…
Groucho Marxism 