基本説明
The book introduces Proto-Indo-European, describes how it was reconstructed from its descendant languages, and shows what it reveals about the people who spoke it between 5,500 and 8,000 years ago. Using related evidence from archaeology and natural history the authors explore the lives, thoughts, passions, culture, society, economy, history, and environment of the Proto-Indo-Europeans.
Full Description
This book introduces Proto-Indo-European and explores what the language reveals about the people who spoke it. The Proto-Indo-Europeans lived somewhere in Europe or Asia between 5,500 and 8,000 years ago, and no text of their language survives. J. P. Mallory and Douglas Adams show how over the last two centuries scholars have reconstructed it from its descendant languages, the surviving examples of which comprise the world's largest language family. After a concise account of Proto-Indo-European grammar and a consideration of its discovery, they use the reconstructed language and related evidence from archaeology and natural history to examine the lives, thoughts, passions, culture, society, economy, history, and environment of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. Our distant ancestors had used the wheel, were settled arable farmers, kept sheep and cattle, brewed beer, got married, made weapons, and had 27 verbs for the expression of strife. The subjects to which the authors devote chapters include fauna, flora, family and kinship, clothing and textiles, food and drink, space and time, emotions, mythology, religion, and the continuing quest to discover the Proto-Indo-European homeland.
Proto-Indo-European-English and English-Proto-Indo-European vocabularies and full indexes conclude the book. Written in a clear, readable style and illustrated with maps, figures, and tables, this book is on a subject of great and enduring fascination. It will appeal to students of languages, classics, and the ancient world, as well as to general readers interested in the history of language and of early human societies.
Contents
List of Maps ; List of Figures ; List of Tables ; List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ; Introduction: How to Use This Book ; 1. Discovery ; 2. The Elements ; 3. Reconstructing Proto-Indo-European ; 4. The System ; 5. Relationships ; 6. A Place in Time ; 7. Reconstructing the Proto-Indo-Europeans ; 8. The Physical World ; 9. Indo-European Fauna ; 10. Indo-European Flora ; 11. Anatomy ; 12. Family and Kinship ; 13. Hearth and Home ; 14. Clothing and Textiles ; 15. Material Culture ; 16. Food and Drink ; 17. Society ; 18. Space and Time ; 19. Number and Quantity ; 20. Mind, Emotions and Sense Perception ; 21. Speech and Sound ; 22. Activities ; 23. Religion ; 24. Grammatical Categories ; 25. Comparative Mythology ; 26. Origins - The Never-ending Tale ; Basic Sound Correspondences Between PIE and the Major IE Groups ; A Proto-Indo-European-English Word-List ; An English-Proto-Indo-European Word-List ; References ; Index of Languages ; Index of Subjects and Places
