As one of the most central categories of the Tocharian verb, the subjunctive is of utmost importance for the reconstruction of the verbal system, the most rewarding domain of Tocharian historical grammar. Michaël Peyrot provides a thorough analysis of the formation of the subjunctive in both Tocharian languages, and establishes its meaning on the basis of a systematic investigation of a wealth of published and unpublished texts. A careful reconstruction of the Proto-Tocharian stage provides a solid base for the comparison with Indo-European and the derivation of the Tocharian subjunctive from the proto-language. With its focus on the wide variety of intricate morphological patterns, The Tocharian Subjunctive is at the same time a study of the whole Tocharian verbal system.

Variation and change in Tocharian B is a systematic and extensive treatment of linguistic variants attested in this most archaic of the two Tocharian languages, which are known through manuscripts from the first millennium CE found along the Northern Silk Road in Xīnjiāng, China. The precise nature of the variants in Tocharian B has been the issue of a long debate. A careful survey of all variants from a wealth of published and unpublished texts shows that most of the variation is due to chronological development. Lists of text classification criteria and overviews of text types make this volume an ideal handbook for the study of the Tocharian lexicon, grammar, and manuscripts. It is of interest for scholars and students of Tocharian and Indo-European alike, and it will be both practical and indispensable for checking variants and their relative chronology.

This book presents a synchronic and diachronic study of all verbal classes and categories of the Tocharian branch of Indo-European. It lists all attested Tocharian verbal forms, together with semantic and etymological information. The material has been subject to careful philological evaluation and incorporates unedited or unpublished texts of the Berlin, London, and Paris collections. In addition, this study consistently takes into account the linguistic variation within the Tocharian B language and the relative chronology of texts. Moreover, Tocharian offers crucial evidence for the reconstruction of the PIE verbal system, and is also of interest to the general linguist for the interaction of voice and valency.

Tocharian and Indo-European Studies is the central publication for the study of two closely related languages, Tocharian A and Tocharian B. Found in many Buddhist manuscripts from central Asia, Tocharian dates back to the second half of the first millennium of the Common Era, though it was not discovered until the twentieth century. Focusing on both philological and linguistic aspects of this language, Tocharian and Indo-European Studies also looks at it in relationship to other Indo-European languages. This issue addresses topics such as the function and origin of the present suffix "-sk," verbal endings, the words for "fear" and "perfume," secular documents, and Tocharian glosses in Sanskrit manuscripts. Birgit Anette Olsen is a researcher and instructor at the University of Copenhagen and author of Derivation and Composition and The Noun in Biblical Armenian. Michaël Peyrot is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna. Georges-Jean Pinault is professor at the École pratique des hautes études in Paris. Thomas Olander is a researcher and instructor at the University of Copenhagen.

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks as well as studies that provide new insights by building bridges to neighbouring fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing.

This book presents a synchronic and diachronic study of the verbal system of the two Tocharian languages together with an index listing attested verbal forms and offering semantic and etymological information. The material is based on philological evaluation and incorporates hitherto unpublished texts.