Re: [tied] Re: OE *picga

In a message dated 10/29/2002 8:54:20 AM Eastern Standard Time, piotr.gasiorowski@... writes:

The reconstruction of *perk^- 'dig out' is based on Germanic
*furxo: 'furrow', Lat. porca 'balk, ridge between two furrows', and
Celt. *rica 'furrow', all of them < *pr.'k(^)ah2.

Is it only Celtic and Germanic? Not much confidence in it there, especially since *pork^os is attested as far west as Iran.

However, the

hypothetically underlying verb does not seem to be plausibly
attested, and perhaps the 'furrow' words are themselves derived from
*perk^- 'streak, mark with different colours'. Of course the
longitudinal striping of wild (or primitive domestic) piglets could
also be described as furrow-like.

Very nice, and quite believable.

David Fickett-Wilbar