Re: Pronouns again

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@...> wrote:

> On Mon, 20 Jan 2003 15:33:55 -0000, "tgpedersen
> <tgpedersen@...>" <tgpedersen@...> wrote:
>
> >C. Boisson: The Sumerian Pronominal system in a Nostratic

Perspective

> >in: V. Shevoroshkin (ed.) Nostratic, Dene-Caucaian, Austric and
> >Amerind
> >
> >has for the roots of pronouns in the two dialects of Sumerian
> >
> >Emegir
> >1st sg. g~á
> >2nd sg. za, zé
> >
> >Emesal
> >1st sg. me
> >2nd sg. ze
> >
> >He hypothesizes that Emesal was the more archaic of the two

dialects

> >and that it was a woman's language.
>
> "eme-sal is the Sumerian term for the language used in certain texts
> such as hymns and laments. It thus seems to be a sort of literary
> dialect. Emesal may, however, also occur in shorter passages of

other

> literary compositions and then especially in direct speech of women"
> (Thomsen, The Sumerian Language, p. 285)
>
> Compare:
> "By now Sanskrit was not a mother tongue but a language to be

studied

> and consciously mastered. This transformation had come about

through a

> gradual process, the beginnings of which are no doubt earlier than
> Pa:n.ini hinmself. Something of the true position must be refelected
> in the drama, where not merely the characters of low social status

but

> also the women and young children speak some variety of Prakrit"
> (Coulson, Sanskrit, xxi)
>
> In my opinion, Emesal stands to Emegir as Prakrit to Sanskrit, and
> represents a later stage of Sumerian.

I've seen that theory too. But if both Emesal and Prakrit were spoken
by badly assimilated groups, they might contain flotsam of the
substrate language. Or?

>
> The differences between Emesal and Emegir are mainly phonetical, and
> one of the differences is that Emegir g~ corresponds to Emesal m

(and

> usually Akkadian m as well). The transcription symbol /g~/ is

usually

> interpreted as standing for a labialized velar nasal /ngw/,

Why labialized?

> =======================
> Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
> mcv@...

BTW Indonesian 'aku' "I", 'megaku[kan]', 'mengakui' "to acknowledge,
admit, recognize" suggests that 'aku' didn't start out as a pronoun.

Torsten