Reconstructing the left peripheries of Proto-Indo-European

Abstract

This thesis is an exercise in syntactic reconstruction, the proposal of the word-order patterns in a prehistoric language. The language in question is Proto-Indo-European, the hypothetical ancestor of the Indo-European language family. More specifically, this thesis reconstructs the abstract syntax behind the ‘left periphery’ (i.e. the beginning) of its clauses and noun phrases, pursued according to the theoretical framework of generative grammar. It is therefore a case study in the Minimalist approach to syntactic reconstruction of Walkden (2014). It begins by introducing the idea of linguistic reconstruction and the methods, chiefly the comparative method, by which it is undertaken. It then works through the debate over the feasibility of reconstructing not only sounds and vocabulary, but also word order; Walkden’s key principle is that syntactic heads and categories offer us the comparanda that can function as counterparts to the phonemes and lexical items used in traditional reconstruction. The thesis then introduces the representative set of seven historical Indo-European languages that are to be individually analysed and then compared, in order to propose what features of their syntax can be reconstructed back to the proto-language. These languages are: Latin, Ancient Greek, Vedic Sanskrit, Old Church Slavonic, Old English, Old Norse and Old Irish. The next chapter sets out the case for the functional category of ‘C’ in the syntax of Proto-Indo-European, and its primary function as the syntactic locus of clause type and super-/subordinate status. The following chapter expands on that underlying syntax by adding a ‘Topic’ component to the left periphery, as well as suggesting a lower position responsible for clausal focus. The thesis then turns to the noun phrase; on the basis of the language set, this is reconstructed as having a similarly structured syntax. It comprises the categories of ‘D’, the locus of (in)definiteness, and ‘Emphasis’, which is responsible for the fronting of constituent elements within the noun phrase. The final chapter summarises the reconstructions and offers remarks on their similarities, strengths and weaknesses, as well as avenues for further research.