Jens:
>The rest is not based on postulates, or wishful
>thinking, quite the contrary - like Glen I hated the idea of a consonantal
>origin of some of the o's,
>not least for the reason that this was a solution I
>could not expect anybody to believe even if it should turn out to be
>correct -, but the facts have
>proved so stubborn as to leave no other way.
There is a confusion here between facts and supposition.
The facts show that *o is being used in the causitive.
Big deal. This doesn't mean that there must absolutely
be a consonant here at all. To claim so only makes
things incredibly sloppy and unbelievable. I'm glad you
don't expect anybody to believe this rot because it's
the most half-brained idea I've heard yet.
I'm thoroughly convinced that the *real* solution to
the problem (if there is a problem at all) lies in
something much less fantastical. Mere vowel changes
perhaps, or the use of an *o-grade to convey a semantic
nuance. Whatever the cause, I'm sure it originates from
the Late IE period (5000-4000 BCE) and is not
particularly ancient.
- gLeN
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