Re: [tied] Re: *gwistis

----- Original Message -----

From: Jens Elmegaard Rasmussen

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 11:23 PM

Subject: Re: [tied] Re: *gwistis

> not to quibble, but Alb. gisht has the dialect variant glisht which makes one suspicious of any connection with ON kvistr and Welsh bys. Still, the meaning 'finger' is striking: hypercorrect dialect-to-dialect loan? The point made by Piotr about gW being inadmissible as against gw which is entirely possible, is certainly correct and important.

 

Thanks, Jens,

 

One possible explanation is the relative rarity of <gi-> in dialects such as Italian Arbëresh, which preserve old <gli-> (e.g. with -li- from syllabic *-l.-); cf. standard Alb. n-ginj 'satiate' vs. Arbëresh n-glinj (< *(en-)gl.njo:). An original <gisht> could be "corrected" to <glish> for greater conformity to the prevailing dialectal pattern.

 

Regards,

 

Piotr