Joseph B. Voyles Knihy

This coursebook serves as a crucial refutation of the laryngeal theory of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) phonology, targeting both linguists and non-linguists, especially those interested in the history and logic of sciences. Each chapter includes exercises and an answer key. The first chapter outlines the methodology for synchronic and historical linguistics. The second chapter surveys major Indo-European languages and summarizes reconstructed PIE phonology. The third chapter traces the evolution of laryngeal theory from Saussure's initial ideas in 1878 to modern interpretations. The fourth chapter critiques two examples of laryngealist methodology: the reconstruction of the original PIE vowel system and the explanation of class-7 reduplicating verbs in Proto-Germanic, proposing alternative explanations. The fifth chapter examines Hittite evidence often cited in support of laryngealism, ultimately deeming it specious. The sixth chapter situates laryngeal theory within a broader context of erroneous scientific theories, such as phlogiston theory in chemistry, illustrating its role as a phase in the development of linguistic science. This comprehensive analysis spans 130 pages and was published in 2015.

This book is the culmination of nearly fifty years of teaching the history of the German language, tracing its development from Proto-Indo-European (PIE) around 3000 BC to the present. It targets German language learners, native speakers, and linguistics students unfamiliar with the language. The content is organized into eleven chapters across four major sections. Part I, Preliminaries, includes Chapter 1, which outlines synchronic and diachronic methodology, and Chapter 2, providing an overview of major Indo-European language families and the evolution of Germanic languages, including Proto-Germanic (PGmc), Northwest Germanic (NWGmc), Old High German (OHG), Middle High German (MHG), and Modern High German (NHG). Part II, Historical Phonology, features Chapter 3 on phonological changes from PIE to PGmc., Chapter 4 from PGmc. to OHG, Chapter 5 from OHG to MHG, and Chapter 6 from MHG to NHG. Part III, Historical Morphology, includes Chapter 7 on changes in nouns, adjectives, numerals, and pronouns, and Chapter 8 on verbs. Part IV, Historical Syntax and Semantics, covers Chapter 9 on derivation and compounding changes, Chapter 10 on syntactic changes, and Chapter 11 on semantic shifts. Each chapter concludes with exercises and an answer key. ISBN 9783862885251. LINCOM Coursebooks in Linguistics 21. 434pp. 2014.

Offers intensive scholarly analysis, discoveries, methodologies, and important reinterpretations with regard to the emergence of Germanic features. This book presents a discussion of the phonological and morphological history of early German from Indo-European to 800 A D. It contains text samples as well as a discussion of the models and theories.