A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Proto-Balto-Slavic | |
|---|---|
| PBS, PBSl | |
| Reconstruction of | Balto-Slavic languages |
| Era | 2nd m. BCE – c. 8th cen BCE |
Reconstructed ancestor | |
| Lower-order reconstructions | |
| Part of a series on |
| Indo-European topics |
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Proto-Balto-Slavic (PBS or PBSl) is a reconstructed hypothetical proto-language descending from Proto-Indo-European (PIE). From Proto-Balto-Slavic, the later Balto-Slavic languages are thought to have developed, composed of the Baltic and Slavic sub-branches, and including modern Lithuanian, Polish, Russian and Serbo-Croatian, among others.
Like most other proto-languages, it is not attested by any surviving texts but has been reconstructed using the comparative method. There are several isoglosses that Baltic and Slavic languages share in phonology, morphology and accentology, which represent common innovations from Proto-Indo-European times and can be chronologically arranged.
Phonology
Consonants
Proto-Indo-European voiced aspirated stops lost their aspiration in Proto-Balto-Slavic. Stops were no longer distinguished between fortis and aspirated but were voiceless and voiced.[1] However, several new palatal (postalveolar) consonants had developed: *ś and *ź from earlier palatovelar plosives and *š from *s as a result of the Ruki sound law.
| Labial | Coronal | Palatal | Velar | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ||||||
| Plosive | p | b | t | d | k | g | ||
| Fricative | s | (z) | ś, š | ź | ||||
| Trill | r | |||||||
| Lateral | l | |||||||
| Approximant | w | j | ||||||
- surfaced as an allophone of /s/ before a voiced consonant in Proto-Balto-Slavic.
Vowels
Proto-Balto-Slavic preserved much of the late Proto-Indo-European vowel system. Short *o was merged into *a, and former *eu had become *jau.