Re: [tied] Re: latin viridis (it was green albanian)

----- Original Message -----
From: "alex_lycos" <altamix@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2003 2:56 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: latin viridis (it was green albanian)



> And this from a short /i/ or /e/
> OK, let see:
> lepore= short e-> iepure
> legis = long e-> lege
> ligo= short i-> lega
> lingo= short i -> linge
> venio = short e-> veni
> video = short i -> vedea
> frigus= long i -> frig

All these examples are worthless. Either the Latin vowel or the environment isn't right. You can get /a/ from the following sources other than Latin /a(:)/ (in both cases the Latin vowel must be found in a stressed syllable followed by final /-a/:

(1) Lat. e, ae > E > ie > iea > (i)a

(if you want the output to be /a/ rather than /ia/, the glide must coalesce with a preceding /t/, /d/, /s/, /k/ o /g/, palatalising it).

(2) Lat. e:, i, oe > e > ea > a

(for the final simplification to take place, the diphthong must be preceded by a labial consonant).

If you want specifically Lat. (short!) i > Rom. a, your examples must be of the second type. Any word of the form CiC(C)a should do, where the initial consonants is labial (Lat. /p/, /b/, /f/, /w/ or /m/) and the medial consonant or consonants are non-nasal.

Take, for example, Vulg. Lat. pira 'pear' (cf. It. pera):

pira > pera > pearã > parã

Wow, it works! ;o)

Piotr