Appendix:Literature/Schleicher's fable

Schleicher's fable is an artificial text composed in the reconstructed language Proto-Indo-European (PIE), published by the German linguist August Schleicher in 1868 (the year of his death). Schleicher was the first scholar to compose a text in PIE. The fable is entitled Avis akvāsas ka ("The Sheep and the Horses").

Various scholars have published revised versions of Schleicher's fable since his original text as the idea of what PIE should look like changed over time. The fable may serve as an illustration of the significant changes that the reconstructed language has gone through during the last 140 years of scholarly efforts.

English

The Sheep and the Horses

A sheep that had no wool saw horses, one of them pulling a heavy wagon, one carrying a big load, and one carrying a man quickly. The sheep said to the horses: "My heart pains me, seeing a man driving horses." The horses said: "Listen, sheep, our hearts pain us when we see this: a man, the master, makes the wool of the sheep into a warm garment for himself. And the sheep has no wool." Having heard this, the sheep fled into the plain.

Proto-Laenkean

ŋakʰtʰas wotʼ kʰegtʰez

ŋakʰtʰas ᵐbæjngʱetʼad hæjzi pesŋwajʔas kajʔʔaci kʰegtʰezed lɯrdʔadeci, slɯhezɯso ʔasas kʼjiwgecetʼad hutlétad ᵐbajkʰjeci, slɯhezɯso ʔasas garad bʱajttʰad bʱajtjeci, slɯhezɯso ʔasas kʰeghɯɟ skamtʰad bʱajtjeci. ŋaktʰas kʰegtʰeziwm dwomʔadeci: "bʱehr̥hen cʼaman skæjtʼʔr̥bʱaci gʱe skamtʰas ᵐbæjngʱes kʰegtʰezed skjupʼʔaci lɯrdʔakʰus." kʰegtʰez dwomʔɯwdetja: "hm̥íwtʼʔar, ŋakʰtʰas, ᵑgjɯmr̥heziwco cʼameziwco skæjtʼʔr̥bʱaci ᵐbæjngʱehɯɟ lɯrdʔɯwtja gʱe: skamtʰas, hwl̥tʼkʰwés, ŋakʰtʰɯg pesŋwajʔɯg ɟiwkʰeced ɟrɯkʰad ᵑgihm̥ ⁿdetʔaci. skajdʱgʱe ŋakʰtʰad hæjzi pesŋwajʔas kajʔʔaci." ᵐbæjngʱehɯɟ skajdʱad humjeci, ŋakʰtʰas rwewŋm̥ ʔɯci pæwkʼjeci.

Laefevian

Ñaht ô heiþir

Radestrian

U Gaks ar i hjeðe

Gaks, vân gjeș ravjeg húe, híðirid vareș, antí vjes gjeș às baðiș veled áșevú, às gjoriș mjekst vjetivú ar às skanslișt așuorcí vjetivú hâle.

[ɡaks | vɤn jɛʃ ˈravjɛɡ ˈhuːɛ | ˈhiːðirid ˈvarɛʃ | ˈantiː vjɛs jɛʃ as ˈbaðiʃ ˈvɛlɛd ˈaːʃɛvuː | as ˈjɔriʃ mjɛkst ˈvjɛtivuː ar as ˈskãˑsliʃt aˈʃuortsiː ˈvjɛtivuː ˈhɤlɛ | ]

1	A sheep that had no wool saw horses,
Word	Gaks,	vân	gjeș	ravjeg	húe,	híðirid	vareș,
Gloss	sheep-NOM.SG	3S.ANIM-DAT	REL=3S	wool-GEN.SG	NEG.PST-DISJ.SG	horse-PL-ACC	see.PST-IND-3S
IPA	[ɡaks | vɤn jɛʃ ˈravjɛɡ ˈhuːɛ | ˈhiːðirid ˈvarɛʃ]