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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ With s for k sound 🗣️ Language with s for k
satem

satem

9.9
An Indo-European language where old k sounds changed to s sounds
  • noun
  • /ˈsɑːtɛm/
  • Specialized
: lengua satem
  • Lithuanian is a classic example of a satem language within the Indo-European family.

Examples

  • The distinction between satem and centum languages is important in historical linguistics.

  • Scholars debated whether Albanian should be classified as a satem language.

  • The satem languages include Sanskrit and Avestan.

  • Linguists study the satem group of languages.

  • The term satem describes languages like Lithuanian and Old Persian, where velar consonants evolved into sibilants.

  • In a satem language, a word for 'one hundred' may sound significantly different from its counterpart in a 'centum' language.

  • Examples of satem languages are Sanskrit and Avestan, which illustrate transformations in consonant sounds compared to other Indo-European languages.

Surface Forms

satem singular
satems plural

Etymology

Satem as a noun means a language (or group of languages) where original 'k' sounds became 's' sounds. The label comes from the old Iranian word satəm meaning 'hundred', since in these languages the word for 'hundred' starts with 's' instead of 'k'.