Consonant correspondences between Proto-Indo-European and the surviving Indo-European branches

(Inspired by Mallory and Adams, Appendix 1)

Notation: > means "developed into", → means "was borrowed into". For languages written in non-roman scripts, I give IPA transcriptions of the respective recordings. A superscript minus, e.g. [tˉ] indicates unaspirated release; [b̥] is also unaspirated and voiceless, but laxer than [pˉ]; [ʰ] indicates slight voiceless aspiration, and [ʱ] indicates (breathy-)voiced aspiration. Long, strong aspiration is transcribed as [h].

Proto-Indo-European Germanic
(Old English > Modern English)
Celtic
(e.g. Irish)
Italic
(e.g. Latin)
Baltic
(e.g. Lithuanian)
Slavic
(e.g. Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian)
Iranian
(e.g. Persian)
Indic
(e.g. Sanskrit)
Greek (e.g. Ancient > Modern) Albanian Armenian
*p [pˉ] *polh₁-uo [polwo] [f] fealu > fallow (colour) [ɸ] > ∅ (i.e. deleted)
Proto-Celtic *ɸlētos > liath
[pˉ] palleō > Italian pallido [pˉ] pilkas, Latvian pelēks
[pˉ] plav,
Slovenian plav [plɐʊ]
Proto-Indo-Iranian *palHtas
[pˉ]  पलित [palitɐ] [pˉ] πολιός [pˉoliós] [b̥] plak [blɐk] Various e.g. ∅ (i.e. deleted)
ալիք ‎[ɐlikʰ]
*bʰ [bʱ] *bʰuh₂ [bʱuɐ̆] [b] bēon > [pˉ] be [pˉ] ,
[pʱ] Welsh  bod
[f] fuī > Spanish fui [b] būti, Latvian būt [b] biti [b] بودن [bu:dán] [bʱ] भू [bʱu:] [ph] φυσικός [phʉsikós] → [f] English physics [b] botë [bʱ]~[pʰ]
բոյս ‎‎[bʱuĭs]
*t [tʰ] *tr̥s- "dry" [θ] þurst > thirst [tʰ] tír [tʰ] terra > Italian terra
[tʰ] trokšti
[tʰ] تشنگی
[teʃne]
[tʰ] तृष्णा [tr̩ʂɳɑ:] [t] τέρσομαι ‎térsomai [tʰ] ter [tʰ] թառամել tʰarramel
*d [d] *déḱm̩- [tʰ] tien > ten [tˉ] deich
[d] decem [d] dešimt [d] deset [d] ده [dɐh] [d] दश [dɐshɐ] [d] δέκα
[dékɐ]
[ð] dhjetë [tˉ] տասը
[tɑsə]
*dʰ [dʱ] *dʰur- ~ *dʰwor- [tˉ] duru > door
[tˉ] doras [f] foris [d] durys,
Latvian durvis
[d] dvor [d] Ossetian дуар [dwʌr] [d] in द्वार् [dvɑ:r], but regularly [dʱ] as in धव् [dʱʌv] "dew" [th] θύρα [thʉ́ra:] > [θ] Modern Greek [θíɾɐ] [d] derë [tˉ] դուռ [tˉuɾə̆ħ]
*ḱ
[k̟ʲʰ]
*ḱr̥-n- [k̟ʲr̩n] [h] horn > horn [kʰ] cearn [kʰ] cornū, cervus [ʃ]>[s] širšė,
Latvian  sirsenis
*[cç]>[tʃ]>[ts]>[s] srna [s] سرنا
[sornʌ]
[ʃ] शृङ्ग [ʃṛ́ŋgʌ]
[kʰ] κέρας ‎[kʰéras] Often [θ] but here
[kʰ] krye [kʰɾy:ʔɛ]
[s] սար [sɑɹ]
*ǵ [g̟ʲ] *ǵnéh₃- [g̟nəŏ] [kʰ] cnawan > know
[k] gnúis
[g] cognitō [ʒ]>[z]
žinau, Latvian zināt
[z] znam
[z] Balochi زان [zʌn] [dʒ] Urdu  جاننا [dʒʌ:nʌ:] [g] γνώση [gnóse]
→ English agnostic
Often [ð] but here *ǵn > [ɲ] njoh [dʒ]~[tʃˉ] ճանաչել
[tʃˉɑnɑtʃʰel]
*ǵʰ [g̟ʲʱ] *ǵʰelh₃- [g̟ʱel—], *ǵʰlh₃-to- [g̟ʱl̩t—]
[kˉ] gold
[g] gealach [h] helvus,
[f] fel
[g]>[ʒ]>[z]
geltonas, žalias,
Latvian zelts, zaļš
[z] zelena
[z] زرد [zærd] [h] हरि [hɐ́ɾi]
[kh] χλωρός [khlɔ:ros] → English chlorine [d] diell
*k [kʰ] *ker-p

[h] harvest
[kʰ] ciorraigh [kʰ] carpō > Italian carpire [kʰ] kerpa *[cç]>[tʃʰ]>[ts] crpsti
[x] Kurdish خەرمان‎ [xermæn] [kʰ] Punjabi ਕਿਰਪਾਨ [kʰirpɑ:n] [kʰ] καρπός ‎Ancient and Modern [kʰarpós]
[kʰ] քերել [k̟ʰʲeɾel]
*g [g] *gr-on- [kʰ] crān > crane [kˉ] grús (←Latin grūs),
Welsh garan
[g] Latin grūs > Italian gru [g]~[dz̥] gervė, Latvian dzērve
*[dʒ]>[ʒ] Bulgarian жерав [ʒerav]
[kʰ] کلنگ‎
[kʰolæŋgʲ]
 गर्जति gárjati
[kˉ] γέρανος [kˉeranos]
kurrillë [kʰ] կռունկ ‎[kʰruŋkʰ]
*gʰ [gʱ] *gʰordʰ-o- [kˉ] garden, [j] yard
[kˉ] gort,
Welsh gardd
[h] hortus [g] gardas [g]>[ɦ] grad,
Ukrainian город [ɦɔrɔd]
[cçʰ]
کرت
[cçʰærtʰ]
[g] गृह [gṛhɐ] [kh] χόρτος [khɔrtos] gardh
*kʷ [k̟ʷʰ] *kʷel- [hw]>[w] hweol >
wheel
[x] (bua)chaill [kʰ] colō > Italian col(tivare) [k̟ʲʰ] kelias [kʰ] Ukrainian колесо [kʰoɫesŏ] [tʃʰ] چریدن
[tʃʰæɾidɐn]
[tʃʰ] Hindi चलते [tʃʰɐl̪t̪e] [k(ʰ)], [pʱ] (βου)κόλος [bu:kólos], πόλος [pʱólos]

[s] sjell
*gʷ [gw] *gʷem- [kʰ] come

[w] veniō [g]~[dz] gimti,
Latvian dzimt
[g]>[ɦ] Polish gać,
Ukrainian гать [ɦatʲ]
*[dʒ]>[z] زمان [zɐmɑn] [g] गमति [gɐmɐtʰi] [b] βαίνω [bɑenɔ:] [g] gatuaj [k] եկ [je]
*gʷʰ [gʷʱ] *h₃nogʷʰ- [ŏ̥nogʷʱ] [g]>[j] el > nail, German Nagel
[gʱ] ionga, [gʷ]>[w] Welsh ewin [gʷ]>[g] unguis > French ongle [g] nagas [kʰ] nokat,
[g] Russian ноготь [noɡətʲ]
[x] ناخن‎
[nɑ:xon]
[kʰ] नख [khʌ] [kˉ] ὄνυξ [ónʉks]
→ English onyx

[gʷʱ] եղունգ ‎[jɛruŋɡʷʱ]
*s
*sed- [s] sit
[s] suí [sˠi:] [s] sedeō > Italian sedere [s] sėdėti [s] Slovenian sedeti [ʃ] نشستن
[neʃastan]
[s] सीदति [si:dɐtɪ] [h] ἕζομαι [hétsomɑɪ]
[s] նստել
[steɻ̥]
[h] հեծնել hetsnel
*y [j]
*yug-o- [jugo] [j] yoke
[i] cuing
[j] iugum > Spanish yugo [j] jungas
[i] Bulgarian, Macedonian иго [igɔ] [j] یوغ [joɢ] [j] योग [jo:gʌ] → English yoga *[dz] > [zd] > [z]
ζυγόν [zdygón] > Modern Greek [ziɣón]

*[j]>[l] լուծ [luts]
*w [w]
*h₂weh₁nt- [ɐwent] [w] the wind
[gw] Welsh gwynt
[w] > [v] ventus > Sicilian ventu
[v] vėjas
[v] Serbian, Macedonian vetar
[gw]>[b]
باد [bɑ:d],
Balochi گوات [gwɑ:t]

[v] वाति [vɑ́:tɑ],
Hindi वायु [vɐ:ju]
[w] is lost: Proto-Hellenic *[ɐwe:mi] > Classical ἄημι [ɐe:mi]
Often [g], but here lip-rounding in
օդ [ɔtʰ]
*m [m]
*meh₂tḗr [meħté:r] > [maté:r] [m] mother [m] máthair
[m] māter
[m] moteris, Latvian māte
[m] mati
‎[m] مادر [modɐɹ̥] [m] मातृ [mɑ:tr̩]
[m] μήτηρ [mɛ́:tɛ:ɹ̥]
[m] motër [m] մայրիկ [mɑjɾik]
*n [n]
*nokʷt- [n] night
[n] Welsh nos
[n] noctis
[n] naktis  [n] noć

[n] नक्तम् [naktʌm] [n] νυκτός [nʉktós] > Modern Greek νύχτα [nɪxta]
[n] natë
*l [l] *leuk- [lɘʊk] [l] light [ɬ] Welsh llewych
[l] lūceō, lūna [l] Latvian lauks
[l] Slovene luč
[r] Balochi روچ [ro:ʧ] [r] रोचते [ro:ʧɐte] [l] λευκός‎ [leukós]
[l] lakuriq [l] լույս ‎[luĭs], լուսին [‎lusin]
*r [r] *h₃reǵ- [ŏreg-tʰo]
[r]>[ɹ]
riht >
right
[ɹ] ,
[r] Scottish Gaelic rìgh

[r] regō, rēx,
Spanish regla
[r] regėti, Latvian redzēt


[r]~[ɹ] Balochi   راست [rɑ:st],  Persian [ɹɑ:st]
[ɾ] राजन् [ɾɑ:ʤən]
[ɾ] ὀρεκτός [ɔrektós]


*h₁ [h]~[ɘ̥] *h₁roudʰ- [hroʊdʱ] Regularly lost
red
Regularly lost
rua
Regularly lost
ruber
Relic [ʰ] in [ʰ]raudona,
Latvian
[ʱ]ruds


Sometimes [h] سیاه [sijɑh] “black” Regularly lost
रुधिर [‒ɾudʱiɾʌ]
Regularly [ɘ]
ρυθρός [ɘruthrós]; sometimes [h]
ὑπό [hʉpó] “under”



*h₁reug- [ɘ̥rɛʊg] Regularly lost
reek

Regularly lost
ructāre
Regularly lost
raugėti
Regularly lost, e.g.
pod-rigivanje, but note [o] in Bulgarian оригвам [origvɐm]
Regularly [ɐ] اروغ [ɐroɣ]
Regularly [ɘ]
ρεύγομαι [ɘréʊgomai]
Regularly lost, e.g. ‒regj
Regularly lost, but note [o] in
ործկալ orckal
*h₂
[ħ]~[ɐ̥]
*h₂s-tér
[ħɐ̥stér]


Regularly lost
star


Regularly lost
Welsh seren
Regularly lost
stēlla > Italian stella


Regularly [ɐ] Kurmanji [ɐstirə] Sometimes [h]
अहम् [ʌhʌ́m] “I am”
Regularly [ɐ] στήρ [ɐstér];
sometimes [hɐ] ρμός [rmos] “arm”
Sometimes [h] hithër
< *h₂eydʰ- “to burn”
Regularly [ɐ] աստղ [ástəʁ]; sometimes [h] հողմ [hɔʁm] < *h₂enh₁mos “wind”

*h₂e-h₂s-  [ħaχs] [a] coloring in ash [ɑ] coloring in Irish áith [a] coloring in āra

Sometimes [x]~[χ]~[k] خاکی‎ [xɑki] → English khaki Regularly [ɐ] आस ā́sa


*h₃
[ʕ̰]~[ɔ̰̆]
*h₃éu-i-s [howis [o]  coloring in eowewe [o]  coloring in Old Irish oí > Scottish Gaelic
aoghaire
[ɯːɾʲə]
[o]  coloring in ovis avis [o] coloring in ovca
Regularly [ɐ] अवि [ɐvi] Regularly [ŏ] ις [oís]
Sometimes [h]
հովիվ [hovif] “shepherd”

*b is omitted because it was extremely rare (i.e. is postulated in very few words) in Proto-Indo-European.