In this thesis, the long-standing problem in Indo-Iranian linguistics whether or not to reconstruct a phoneme /l/ for Proto-Indo-Iranian is examined in detail. After a brief status quaestionis, the...Show moreIn this thesis, the long-standing problem in Indo-Iranian linguistics whether or not to reconstruct a phoneme /l/ for Proto-Indo-Iranian is examined in detail. After a brief status quaestionis, the etymology of all words with a phoneme /l/ in Ṛgvedic Sanskrit is scrutinized to see which words are likely borrowed from substratum languages and which go back to Proto-Indo-Iranian. Secondly, the problem is studied from a synchronic perspective. On the basis of the distribution of /l/ and /r/ in the different books of the Ṛgveda, it is argued that both diachronic and diatopic factors play a role, i.e. that generally speaking later books and books written in more eastern parts of India have a higher frequency of words with /l/. Finally, the diastratic component is taken into consideration as it is shown on the basis of a semantic analysis and with attention to female speech that /l/ was part of the lower registers of Vedic Sanskrit. This evidence combined, it is argued in the conclusion that /l/ gradually lost its function as a phoneme in Proto-Indo-Iranian, a process that was completed in Old Iranian and Mitanni Indo-Aryan with the complete loss of a phoneme /l/. This, however, was interrupted in Old Indo-Aryan, due to a profound influx of substratum words with the phoneme /l/.Show less
In this thesis, the nature of the shared vocabulary between Baltic, Slavic and Germanic has been researched. 294 lexical items that have been suggested in the past to be part of this shared lexicon...Show moreIn this thesis, the nature of the shared vocabulary between Baltic, Slavic and Germanic has been researched. 294 lexical items that have been suggested in the past to be part of this shared lexicon have been (re-)examined through etymological research. The shared lexicon has been placed into the context of the prehistory of the Baltic, Slavic and Germanic language families. It is argued that most of the shared lexicon is the result of an Indo-European substrate that itself contained a pre-Indo-European (neolithic) substrate and that this donor language was spoken by inhabitants of the Corded Ware culture.Show less
The thesis aims to make up for part of the lack of a West Frisian etymological dictionary. It contains 37 lemmas with thorough historical linguistic treatments. A lemma consists of a West Frisian...Show moreThe thesis aims to make up for part of the lack of a West Frisian etymological dictionary. It contains 37 lemmas with thorough historical linguistic treatments. A lemma consists of a West Frisian word from the standard language, a collection of its regional and dialectal variants, its cognates in the other branches of Frisian, Germanic and Indo-European, a discussion of the relevant historical developments in phonology, morphology and semantics (focusing especially on the developments from Proto-Germanic to West Frisian), as well as of the ultimate etymology, and finally some relevant references. The words were selected from the semantic category of farming, including both agriculture and livestock breeding, which has been a prominent feature of Frisian life for centuries. The appertaining vocabulary has a long Frisian history as well, and is therefore well-suited both to illustrate and to refine our understanding of the linguistic history of Frisian.Show less
