Author: Fatmir Iliazi
Institution: Independent Researcher
Abstract
This article explores the Latin–Italian verb provare (“to try, to test, to prove”) through the lens of pre-literate phonological and semantic structures preserved in Albanian. Contemporary Albanian verbs bër and bëj, as well as archaic roots bhë, ban, and bon, encode a symbolic-semantic field related to creation, emergence, and the process of making. By tracing plausible phonetic and morphological pathways within Albanian, and examining phonetic alternations attested in Tosk and Gheg dialects, this study proposes that provare may reflect a conceptual pattern of verbal “making” and “proving” that predates writing and the classical Latin period. This interpretation complements existing etymologies by situating provare within a broader, pre-literate oral linguistic context.
Keywords
Latin provare; Albanian roots; pre-literate linguistics; Tosk and Gheg dialects; phonetic alternation; semantic continuity; symbolic verb archetype; historical reconstruction.
1. Introduction
The Latin verb provare exhibits a semantic field encompassing testing, trying, and proving. Traditional etymologies link it to probare and associated Italic forms, often emphasizing internal Latin derivation. However, these approaches rarely consider the possibility that pre-literate verbal roots preserved in neighboring Indo-European branches, such as Albanian, might reflect deeper phonological and semantic continuities.
This study examines the possibility that provare resonates with ancient verbal structures encoded in Albanian roots: bhë, and its modern reflexes bër and bëj, as well as the archaic stems ban and bon. In Albanian oral and mythological-linguistic tradition, these stems signify processes of bringing into being, making, and establishing existence.
Because these roots predate the emergence of writing, their validity as linguistic evidence rests on phonological regularities, morphological patterns, and semantic consistency, rather than textual attestations.
2. Phonetic and Morphological Pathways
Tracing the conceptual movement of these roots through sound yields the following sequence:
borban → porban (bh > ph > p) → proban (metathesis: or → ro) → probar (n → r) → provar (b → v).
Each step involves phonetic alternations—b > p, r ↔ n, b > v—that are observable in modern dialects, particularly within Tosk and Gheg Albanian. These transitions serve as evidence of systematic oral phonological processes, independent of written records.
Semantically, the chain preserves a continuous conceptual thread:
- bon/ban/borban → “to be made”
- proban/probar → “to try, to bring forth in action, to prove”
This demonstrates how the act of making naturally extends to the act of testing or proving, reflecting a coherent symbolic and functional progression in pre-literate verbal thought.
3. Latin Reception of the Archetype
Within this framework, Latin provare may be understood as an adoption or reflection of an archetypal verbal structure associated with “making” and “proving.” It does not require direct lexical borrowing; rather, Latin could internalize similar symbolic patterns, preserving the semantic logic of creation → trial → proof.
4. Relation to Latin far-
The Latin verb far- has been proposed as a potential source for provare. From a symbolic and phonetic perspective, far- can be modeled as deriving from the same pre-literate Albanian root:
bon/bor → phor → for → far (bh > ph > f; n → r; o > a)
This pathway again highlights the robustness of the underlying root across phonetic and semantic shifts, demonstrating continuity in the conceptual domain of making and manifestation.
5. Expanded Discussion: Pre-Literate Roots in an Indo-European Context
The Albanian roots bhë, bër, bëj, ban, and bon can be situated within a broader Indo-European (IE) verbal framework, particularly in relation to creation, manifestation, and agency.
5.1 Semantic Archetypes in IE
Key IE roots reflect similar semantic fields:
- *dheh₁- (“to put, place, do”) – Sanskrit dadhāti, Latin facere, Greek tithēmi.
- *bher- (“to carry, bear, bring”) – Sanskrit bharati, Greek pherein, Latin ferre.
- *meh₂- / *men- (“to think, plan, prepare”) – reflected across multiple branches.
Albanian bhë/bër/ban/bon aligns semantically with these roots, encoding agency and bringing into being, while preserving phonological alternations unique to Tosk and Gheg dialects.
5.2 Phonological Continuities
The proposed sequence:
borban → porban → proban → probar → provar
mirrors IE structural tendencies:
- Voicing alternations (b ↔ p, bh > ph) resemble PIE aspirated stop evolution.
- N ↔ r alternations occur sporadically in IE roots.
- Metathesis is attested across IE dialects.
5.3 Semantic Drift: Creation → Proof
Across IE languages, creation verbs often specialize:
- Greek poieō → “compose, produce”
- Latin facere → “cause, produce, prove”
- Sanskrit krī-, dṛś- → practical application
Similarly, Albanian roots follow a semantic progression: making → performing → testing/proving, consistent with IE functional drift.
5.4 Reduplication and Symbolic Morphology
Albanian exhibits traces of reduplication (e.g., borban), paralleling IE intensive forms in Sanskrit (dádāti) and Latin (tremulāre, murmurare). Reduplication emphasizes creation and manifestation, providing a mechanism for the evolution of a verb like provare.
5.5 Implications for Latin–Albanian Interaction
Even absent written attestations, the Balkanic–Italic region represents a pre-literate contact zone. Shared symbolic cognition may have favored parallel verbal forms, allowing Latin to reflect pre-literate creation-verbs conceptually compatible with Albanian roots.
6. Conclusion
Latin–Italian provare may reflect an underlying pre-literate verbal archetype preserved in Albanian roots. Phonetic evolution, semantic trajectory, and symbolic morphology align with broader Indo-European patterns, suggesting continuity from making → testing → proving.
This framework emphasizes pre-literate oral evidence as a valid tool for historical linguistics, complementing conventional etymologies and highlighting the symbolic logic inherent in deep verbal histories.
7. Suggested Tables/Figures for Publication
| Step | Form | Phonetic Change | Semantic Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | borban | — | “to be made” |
| 2 | porban | bh > ph > p | reinforced |
| 3 | proban | metathesis: or → ro | action focus |
| 4 | probar | n → r | testing begins |
| 5 | provar | b → v | “to try, to prove” |
Diagram suggestion:
- Flowchart showing semantic evolution: make → act → test → prove
- Parallel IE roots (dheh₁-, bher-) aligned with Albanian reflexes
8. References
- Campbell, L. Historical Linguistics: An Introduction. 2013.
- Watkins, C. The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. 2011.
- Huld, M. Basic Albanian Etymologies. 1984.
- Orel, V. Albanian Etymological Dictionary. 1998.
- Mallory, J., Adams, D. The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World. 2006.
- Eliade, M. Patterns in Comparative Mythology. 1958.
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