H₂e-conjugation theory

The h₂e-conjugation theory adds a third conjugation to the two generally accepted conjugations of Proto-Indoeuropean language (PIE), the thematic and the athematic conjugation.

History of the theory

Proposed by Jasanoff (1979) and presented in its most elaborate form in Jasanoff (2003), the evidence for the "new" verbal conjugation in PIE is based on the attested existence of the similar hi-conjugation in Hittite and other Anatolian languages. Whereas the Anatolian hi-conjugation has traditionally been seen as an innovation in the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European family of languages, Jasanoff presents evidence and arguments to place it as a conjugation already established in PIE proper.

The problem

The following table serves to give an understanding of the problem that the theory tries to solve.

The origin of the Hittite mi-conjugation (in the singular of the present indicative active) is not controversial. It can easily be identified as a descendant of the corresponding forms in the ancestral PIE language.

The question is, where does the Unicode|ḫi-conjugation come from (represented in the table as question marks)? A very common solution (Cowgill and others) has been to derive it from the PIE perfect. The second most common candidate has been the PIE middle (Rozenkranz, Kuryłowicz). (Why the PIE perfect and middle endings resembles each other so much is a major question in itself, and of course of great interest vis a vis the Hittite hi-conjugation). Deriving the Hittite Unicode|ḫi-conjugation directly from the PIE thematic presents (like Couvreur did) involves huge problems, but that there is some connection seems very probable (in line with Pedersen and Watkins).

All these three solutions, according to Jasanoff, present massive problems, not the least of which being that the way verbs are distributed between the two Hittite conjugations seems arbitrary, by and large, compared to the other IE daughter languages. Even for this reason, it seems more probable that two categories serving one function have largely merged in the other languages (Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, etc.).

Thus, the theory does not dispute that the present of the PIE 3rd conjugation is related to the traditional middle and perfect endings, it just moves the common ancestry back to a time before that of PIE proper.

(The table is greatly simplified for the sake of presentation. The plural is omitted altogether because it presents significantly greater problems than the singular, as the "normal" forms were generalized from the Hitttite mi-conjugation to the Unicode|ḫi-conjugation, probably by analogy.)

References

*cite book| last=Jasanoff| first=Jay H.| year=1979| chapter=The position of the Unicode|"ḫi"-conjugation| pages=79–90| title=Hethitisch und Indogermanisch| editor=Erich Neu and Wolfgang Meid| publisher=Institut für Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Innsbruck| id=ISBN 3851245423
*cite book| last=Jasanoff| first=Jay H.| year=2003| title=Hittite and the Indo-European Verb| publisher=Oxford University Press| id=ISBN 0-19-928198-X