Indo-Germanic

[jacob.baltuch at infoboard.be]

I'd like to request from this honorable readership their opinions re. the
respective rhythmical properties of IG and IE in English, French, German,
Hindi, Spanish or any other language they're familiar with.

I have to admit that, to my ears, "unsyncopated" IE is more awkward
rhythmically than IG because of two hiatuses within the word.

However in French and German, IE could be converted into a "sycopated IE":
indeuropeen (un-deux-ropeen) and indeuropaeisch both 5 syllables long,
and probably is already in fluent speech (?). To some extent "syncopated IE"
gets closer to the rhythmical grace of IG, but not quite in my opinion.
(Note sync-IE still leaves a hiatus between the last syllable and the
penultimate. This can't reasonably be eliminated)

In English however, it seems to me the wonderful rhythmical possibilities
of that idiom (especially in the hipper litterary dialects) make
it possible to reduce Indeuropean to the mere three, THREE, syllables of
classy "injure-PEEN". In Hindi translitteration it could be something
like injRpIna I suppose, with a litterate vocalic R, and a silent a at the end,
but maybe the first -n- should undergo sandhi, so iJjRpIna. Note I know
*nothing* about Hindi, that much is amply clear, so serious scholars, or
anyone who knows what they're talking about, may wish to correct me here
(If it is possible to save anything, that is :)

Clearly no matter what rough treatment you submit IG to, in English,
you'll never achieve three syllables!

verse whereas IG might be more appropriate for the blank verse of tragedy,
French alexandrines, etc.

Cheers
Jacob

ps: IG was invented by a Frenchman.