Traditional Reconstruction
The traditional reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European includes the following stop consonants:
| labials | dentals | palatalized velars | velars | labialized velars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| voiceless stops | p | t | kʲ | k | kʷ |
| voiced stops | (b) | d | ɡʲ | ɡ | ɡʷ |
| breathy voiced stops | bʱ | dʱ | ɡʲʱ | ɡʱ | ɡʷʱ |
/b/ is parenthesized because it is at best very rare and perhaps nonexistent.
Historically, this inventory was not introduced as an independent proposal, but instead arose as a modification of an earlier, typologically more plausible theory. In the original Proto-Indo-European proposal, there was a fourth phonation series, aspirated /pʰ, tʰ, kʲʰ, kʰ, kʷʰ/, assumed to exist on the basis of what is found in Sanskrit, which at the time was thought to be the most conservative Indo-European language. However, it was later realized that this series was unnecessary and was generally the result of a sequence of a tenuis stop such as /t/ and a laryngeal such as /h/. The aspirate series was removed, but the breathy voiced consonants remained.
Read more about this topic: Glottalic Theory
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“The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.”
—Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1934)