Re: [tied] Got milk?

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 14475
Date: 2002-08-23

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 -----
From: João Simões Lopes Filho
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
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