Re: [tied] Proto-Albanian

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 21499
Date: 2003-05-04

----- Original Message -----
From: "alex_lycos" <altamix@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2003 1:07 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Proto-Albanian


> The semantic shift + methathesis in this word sounds not very nice to
me. From Latin "sumpf" to Romanian and Albanian "forest" , specialy for
people who have been supposed to live long time in Mountains ( well, in
the forest) it seems unlikely.

I've seen similar and even stranger semantic shifts. The original meaning of <forest> was 'outdoors'.

> If Albanian lost an intervocalic "d" then padu:lem > paule. how is the
"ëy" from (pëyll) to explain here?

Long *u: was regularly fronted in Albanian, giving <y> (pronounced like German <ü>). Unstressed *a was reduced to schwa and eventually lost:

*padú:l- > *pë(d)yll > pyll

Got it?

> Piotr, does any root you remember of looks like *ped-, *pad- and fits
semanticaly with forest? the *ped= feet shouldn't fit:)

No.

Piotr