Question
8. If a proposed Indo-European etymology does not obey
the laws of sound correspondence,
A itis excised from the language by the national
linguistic authority.
itis almost certainly wrong, because the laws
operate in unconscious and impressively
regular ways.
© it may nevertheless be correct, because
etymology is an evolving science and
therefore imprecise.
© itis most likely from a Romance language,
whose rules are less consistent than those of
the Germanic branch.
Answer
If a proposed Indo-European etymology does not obey the laws of sound correspondence, it is almost certainly wrong, because the laws operate in unconscious and impressively regular ways.