Indo-European Cognates

All Indo-European languages share some words that are similar in form and meaning. Both form and meaning may change with time. Cognates are words in different languages that are descended from the same word in the parent language. Cognate = of common origin (Latin co- and gntus born together)

The original word is called an etymon; the words that evolved from the etymon are its reflexes.

Indo-European *bher- bear, carry

Sanskrit bhar-

Greek pher-

Latin fer-

Gothic bair-

cognates (Sanskrit: a language of ancient India, one of the daughters of P.I.E.)

Cognates are words that were born together. The etymon is, in a sense, the true form, the form before any changes. Related to reflect and reflection, a reflex is an image, a reflection, of the etymon.
Indo-European *bherbear, carry

Sanskrit bharGreek pherLatin ferGothic bair-

cognate

Etymon: from Greek etymos true. Reflex: from Latin re- back and flect bend.

words common to most Indo-European languages: Group Language Lexicon

two three four horse

Germanic Old English twa Italic Latin duos

thrie tres

feowre quattuor

eoh equus

Celtic
Indic Iranian Slavic

Old Irish
Sanskrit Avestan Russian

do
duos dva dwa dva

tri
tri trayo tri erek' trai

ceathair
tetra chatvaro chetyre cork' s'twer

ech
hippos asva aspa loshaa (kon) yakwe

Hellenic Greek

trayas chatvari

Armenian Armenian erku Tocharian Tocharian B wi

Proto-Indo-European *duwos *treyes *kwetores *ek'wos

Sometimes there is great similarity between cognate words. For example, Latin ignis and Sanskrit agnis come from I.E. *egnis fire.

However, cognate words do not necessarily look alike!

English work and Greek ergon are superficially unlike each other, but both are developments of I.E. *wergom, and are therefore cognates.

Cognates are words in different languages that are descended from the same word in the parent language
Old English heorte German Herz Old Norse Gothic hjarta hairto hafod Haupt hfu haubi niht Nacht ntt nahts mna Mond mni mena

Latin
Greek Russian

cordis
kardi

caput
------------------kapla

noctis
nuktos noch' naktis nocht

mnsis
mn mesjats menuo mi

serdtse -------

Lithuanian irdis Irish cride Sanskrit I.E ------*kerd-

naktam ms-

*kap-ut- *nokwt- *mn(t)-/m(n)s-

words common to most Indo-European languages: Lexicon Group Language Germanic Italic Celtic Hellenic Indic Iranian Slavic Armenian Tocharian Old English Latin Old Irish Greek Sanskrit Avestan Russian Armenian fder pater athair pater pitar pitar otech hayr macer procer modor mater meter matar matar matka broor frater phrater 1 bhratar bratar brat

mathair brathir

Tocharian B pacer

Proto-Indo-European

*pter

*mater

*bhrater

Note: 1. Greek phrater means "clan member"

Below are lists of words from 10 Indo-European languages and a list of their reconstructed I.E. sources. Sort the words into cognate lists . father, mother, brother, sister, daughter
Old English: broor, dohtor, fder, mdor, sweostar German: Mutter, Schwester, Vater, Tochter, Bruder

Old Norse: brir, dttir, fir, mir, systir Gothic: dauhtar, fadar, broar, swistar Latin: frater, mter, pater, soror Greek: pter, thugatr, phrtr, mtr,

Below are lists of words from 10 Indo-European languages and a list of their reconstructed I.E. sources. Sort the words into cognate lists 2/2 father, mother, brother, sister, daughter Russian: sestra, mat, do, brat Lithuanian: mote woman, sesuo, brlis, dukt Irish: brthir, mthir, athir, siur Sanskrit: bhrtar, pitar-, svasar-, duhitar-, matrI.E.: *dhughtr, *bhrter-, *mter-, *swesor-, *ptr-

Cognate Words 1/2

father mother fder mdor Vater Mutter fir mir fadar pater mter
daughter brother sister broor sweostar dohtor Bruder Schwester Tochter brir systir dttir broar swistar dauhtar frater soror

O.E. GER.

O. N.
GOTH. LAT.

Cognate Words 2/2

father mother
GK. pter RUSS. LITH IR. SKT athir pitarmtr mat mote woman mthir matr-

brother
phrtr brat brlis brthir bhrtar

sister
sestra sesuo siur svasar-

daughter
thugatr do dukt

duhitar-

I.E.

*ptr- *mter-

*bhrter- *swesor- *dhughtr

P. I. E. Nouns, Adjectives and Pronouns were inflected for a) Case, b) Number, and c) Gender

P.I.E a) Noun &Adjective Infections: 8 cases

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Nominative: They saw me. (subject) Vocative: Officer, I need help. (person addressed) Accusative: They saw me. (direct object) Genitive: Shakespeares play. (possessor or source) Dative: Give her a hand. (indirect object, recipient) Ablative: He abstained from it. (what is separated) Locative: We stayed home. (place, where) Instrumental: She ate with chopsticks. (means, instrument)

P. I. E. Nouns, Adjectives and Pronouns were inflected for:

a) Case: 1. Nominative, 2. Vocative, 3. Accusative, 4. Genitive, 5.Dative, 6. Ablative, 7. Locative, 8. Instrumental.

b) Number: singular, plural, dual

c) Gender: male, female, neuter