The Voicing of Ejective Consonants
The Nakh languages are relevant to the glottalic theory of Indo-European, as the Veinakh branch has undergone the voicing of ejectives that has been postulated but widely derided as improbable in that family. In initial position, Bats ejectives correspond to Veinakh ejectives, but in non-initial position to Veinakh voiced consonants. (The exception is *qʼ, which remains an ejective in Veinakh.)
| Bats | Chechen | gloss | Dagestanian cognate |
|---|---|---|---|
| nʕapʼ | naːb | 'sleep' | |
| ʃwetʼ | ʃad | 'whip' | Gigatil Chamalal: tsatʼán |
| pʰakʼal | pʰaɡal | 'hare' | Andi: tɬʼankʼala |
| dokʼ | dwoɡ | 'heart' | Andi: rokʷʼo |
| matsʼ | mezi | 'louse' | Chadakolob Avar: natsʼ |
| ʕartsʼiⁿ | ʕärʒa- | 'black' | Gigatil Chamalal: -etʃʼár |
| jopʼqʼ | juqʼ | 'ashes' |
A similar change has taken place in some of the other Dagestanian languages.
Read more about this topic: Nakh Languages