Sounds like someone choking on milk
:)
The evidence being as limited as it is, a
number of diferent reconstructions are possible in the sense that they cannot be
excluded. Simplicity should be preferred at this stage. Greek g(a)lakt- and
Latin lact- (plus, it seems, Bangani lOktO, if a genuine substrate word, and
hypothetically [Proto-]Chinese *lak if an IE loan) are derivable from
*glakt (with the Lindeman variant *gl.lakt), *glaktos (or *glktos levelled out),
with the *a perhaps due to sporadic colouring by (uvular?) *k (the initial
might equally well be *g^ -- only a Satem cognate could clarify
things).
Well, life would be easier without the
Greek forms, since we are forced to assume the irregular simplification of *gl-
to /l-/ in Latin (and in the Bangani substrate), but what else can we do?
Abandon the connection? Or start speculating. Alternative number one: *dlakt-
with *dl- > *l except in Greek, where *dl- is dissimilated to *gl- > gl- ~
gal-. Here at least the simplifiction makes sense, as in the 'long' word, and
even if other examples of *dl- > Gk. gl- can't be found, the dissimilation
also makes sense even as a sporadic change.
Any thoughts?
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2002 4:09 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Milk and a Gaulish Love Poem
Could be a non-IE substratum?
Perhaps...
*dglakt > galakt
*dglakt > *gdlakt >
lakt