Boukólos rule

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The boukólos rule is a phonological rule of the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE). It states that a labiovelar stop (*kʷ, *gʷ, *gʷʰ) dissimilates to an ordinary velar stop (*k, *g, *gʰ) next to the vowel *u or its corresponding glide *w.

The rule is named after an example, the Ancient Greek word βουκόλος (bou-kólos; from Mycenaean Greek qo-u-ko-ro /ɡʷou̯kolos/^[1]) "cowherd", ultimately from PIE *gʷou-kolos, dissimilated from *gʷou-kʷolos. If the labiovelar had not undergone dissimilation, the word should have turned out as *bou-pólos, as in the analogously constructed αἰπόλος (ai-pólos) "goatherd" < *ai(ǵ)-kʷolos.^[2]^: 64 The same dissimilated form *gʷou-kolos is the ancestor of Proto-Celtic *bou-koli-, the source of Welsh bugail (which would have had -b- rather than -g- if it had come from a form with *-kʷ-) and Irish buachaill, which is the common word for "boy" in the modern language.^[3]^: 72

Another example could be the Greek negation οὐκ[ί] (ouk[í]), which Warren Cowgill has interpreted as coming from pre-Greek *ojukid < *(ne) h₂oju kʷid, meaning approximately "not on your life". Without the boukólos rule, the result would have been *οὐτ[ί] (out[í]).^[2]^: 133

The rule is also found in Germanic, mainly in verbs, where labiovelars are delabialised by the epenthetic -u- inserted before syllabic resonants:^[4]^{: 111–112}

Old High German queman ("to come"), past participle cuman ("come"), from Proto-Germanic *kwemaną and *kumanaz
Gothic saiƕan, Old High German sehan ("to see"), past plural OHG sāgun ("saw"), from Proto-Germanic *sehwaną and *sēgun (-g- results from earlier -k- through Verner's law)

References

^ Beekes, Robert Stephen Paul (2011). Comparative Indo-European linguistics: An Introduction (2nd ed.). John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 978-90-272-1185-9. LCCN 2011024057. OCLC 730054595. OL 25170256M. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
^ ^a ^b Fortson, Benjamin W. (2004). Indo-European Language and Culture. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-4051-0316-7. LCCN 2004004901. OCLC 54529041. OL 3290290M.
^ Matasović, Ranko (2009). Alexander Lubotsky (ed.). Etymological dictionary of proto-Celtic. Leiden: Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-17336-1. LCCN 2008046609. OCLC 262430534. OL 23161484M. Wikidata Q119331105.
^ Ringe, Don (13 July 2017). From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic. A Linguistic History of English (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OSO/9780198792581.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-879258-1. OCLC 972772031. OL 27415350M. Wikidata Q119269648.

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[bee11-1] Beekes, Robert Stephen Paul (2011). Comparative Indo-European linguistics: An Introduction (2nd ed.). John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 978-90-272-1185-9. LCCN 2011024057. OCLC 730054595. OL 25170256M. Retrieved 12 August 2017.

[for04-2] Fortson, Benjamin W. (2004). Indo-European Language and Culture. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-4051-0316-7. LCCN 2004004901. OCLC 54529041. OL 3290290M.

[mat09-3] Matasović, Ranko (2009). Alexander Lubotsky (ed.). Etymological dictionary of proto-Celtic. Leiden: Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-17336-1. LCCN 2008046609. OCLC 262430534. OL 23161484M. Wikidata Q119331105.

[rin17-4] Ringe, Don (13 July 2017). From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic. A Linguistic History of English (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OSO/9780198792581.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-879258-1. OCLC 972772031. OL 27415350M. Wikidata Q119269648.

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Boukólos rule

See also

References

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