Proto-Indo-European phonology

Proto-Indo-European (PIE) phonology refers to the sound system of the common ancestor language of many European and Asian languages. It included consonants like stops (p, t, k), fricatives (s, sh), nasals (m, n), and liquids (l, r), along with vowels such as *a, e, i, o, u*. Some sounds had distinctive features, like voiced or voiceless. PIE also included complex rules for how sounds changed over time, creating the diverse words we see in descendant languages. Understanding PIE phonology helps linguists trace language evolution and connections across Indo-European languages.