Re: [tied] house and hip

"alex_lycos" <altamix@...> wrote:

> Piotr Gasiorowski wrote:
>
>>> I take in consideration here the following words: latin "coxa",
>>> albanian "kofshe:" rom. "coapsa" , germanic "Hüfte" I think nor
>>> Romanian word neither Albanian word are reflexes of Latin "coxa"
>>> since from Latin "cossa" there could not derive clusters like
>>> "ps" and "fsh". In this way, these words are to be seen cognates
>>> with the Latin word from very ancient times when even in Latin
>>> the pronunciation of the Latin "coxa" was still "cocsa" and not
>>> "cossa"
>>
>> You must be joking. What "very ancient" times? Lat. -ks- and -ss-
>> did not merge yet in Proto-Romance. They give different reflexes
>> in several Romance languages. The change of -ks- > -ps- (-fsh- in
>> Latinate Albanian words) is neatly parallelled by -kt- > -pt-
>> (lots of Romanian examples, e.g. nocte-, lucta-, directa-,
>> frictu-, octo:, coctu- > noapte, luptã, dreaptã, fript, opt,
>> copt, etc.; cf. Albanian luftë or even Tosk ftua, Geg ftue <
>> *fto:n < *kto:n- < coto:nea 'quince')

The confusion between /ks/ and /s/ starts in late Latin, but is
not generalized (see for instance hypercorrect forms in AP: "miles
non milex", "aries non ariex", "poples non poplex", etc.; see also
common spelling errors like "vissit" for "vixit"). Not being quite
generalized, it still gives different reflexes in Eastern Romance
(e.g. Vegl. <kopsa>).

> I am not joking. The "x" in Latin was since long time an "s". For
> verifying please see the verb " a lasa" which is coming from Latin
> "laxare".

Alex has had already the occasion to learn where the difference is
coming from. He did not use it, though.
For the others: Latin /ks/ > Balkan Romance /ps/ > Romanian /s/
_if_preceeding_stressed_vowel_. So, the evolution is not
laxare (Lat.) > *lassare (late Latin) > lãsa(re) (Romanian) but
laxare > *lapsare (intermediate Romance) > lãsa(re) (Romanian).

Regards,
Marius Iacomi