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The Optative in Proto-Indo-European

Pitts, Reuben

(2019)

Details

Supervisors

Isebaert, Lambert

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [60] en langues et lettres anciennes, orientation orientales

Abstract

enThis thesis examines the reconstruction and development of the Proto‑Indo‑European Optative within the wider context of ongoing debates on the nature of the Proto‑Indo‑European verb system. First, it focuses on the attested reflexes of the Optative in the various branches of the Indo‑European language family, both in formal and in functional terms. The functional description of the Optative in the oldest Indo‑European languages is framed against general typological research on the diachrony of similar modal grammatical categories in modern languages. These findings allow for a more precise delineation of the probable properties of the Optative in the Proto‑Indo‑European parent language. In the final chapter of the thesis, attention goes to the chronological context of the reconstructed Optative modal suffix, in relation both to the diversification of the Indo‑European language family, and to theoretical debate on the internal reorganisations of the Proto‑Indo‑European verb system.