On Thu, 08 May 2003 19:35:37 +0200 (MET DST), Jens Elmegaard Rasmussen
<
jer@...> wrote:
>If all stem-final vowels are "thematic vowels", we can account
>for the noun/pronoun and the verb by the same set of rules, and if not
>only short, but all thematic suffixes leave their thematic vowels immune
>to ablaut reduction, we have it all. That a vowel-reducing rule has
>restrictions in which the position in the word is a factor is not strange
>in itself. I would guess that the very fact that the position before the
>flexives is a sheltered one where vowels are not reduced, irrespective of
>their accentuation (in the output forms), is trying to tell us something.
>It would be constructive to think out theories about what that might be.
I think the relevant soundlaws are already known. There was a zero
grade law that reduced unstressed short vowels and shortened long
vowels (but not in the svarita --immediately posttonic-- position).
There was a thematic vowel rule that differentiated thematic vowels
before voiced segments (resulting in *o) from thematic vowels before
voiceless segments --including silence-- (resulting in *e). There was
an initial stress rule that retracted the stress to the first full
vowel (*e or *o) in the word. Finally there was a second zero grade
rule that further reduced *e, but not *o, in posttonic position.
I think the thematic vowel survived the first zero grade simply by the
fact that it was initially always stressed. For nouns such as
*wl.kWós or verbs such as *tudéti this simply follows from the
attested facts. For verbs such as *bhéreti or nouns (adjectives) such
as *néwos this requires original long grade (vr.ddhi) of the root
(**bha:r-á-t(i) > *bharát(i) > *bhéret(i); **na:w-á-z > **nawá:z >
*néwos), which is in itself not a problem (Sanskrit .
In the case of *wl.kWós or *tudéti we also have no problem with the
"second" zero-grade rule, but such a problem does arise with e.g.
post-initial-accent *bhéreti, which should have given +bhérti.
My solution lies in the re-evaluation of the vowel qualities/
quantities in combination with a slightly different working of the
zero-grade rules (where zero-grade rule I becomes a reduction-rule,
creating schwa's, and the real zero-grade (schwa > 0) is the work of
zero-grade rule II).
Imagine a pre-PIE vowel system consisting of:
/a/ /i/ /u/
/a:/ /i:/ /u:/
both stressed and unstressed.
The vowel reduction rule reshaped this to:
stressed svarita unstressed
a > &' o: &
i > (y)&' (y)e: (y)&
u > (w)&' (w)o: (w)&
a: > ó: a
i: > (y)é: i > (y)&
u: > (w)ó: u > (w)&
Disregarding the labializing and palatalizing effects of former *i(:)
and *u(:), this amounts to a system where we have:
stressed unstressed
&' &
a
ó: o(:)
é: e(:)
The initial accent rule turns all cases of /a/ (from unstressed /a:/)
into stressed /á/, and reduces any following stressed /&'/ (from
stressed /á/, /í/, /ú/) to unstressed /&/.
We now have:
stressed unstressed
&' &
á
é: e(:)
ó: o(:)
Stressed /&'/ and /á/ merge as /é/, and the zero grade rule then turns
all unstressed /&/'s into zero, giving:
stressed unstressed
é
é: e
ó o
This accounts for most noun patterns:
root: **sám-z, G. **sam-ás -> *séms, *smés
root static: **pá:d-z, G. **pa:d-ás -> *pó:ds, *péds
PD: **h2ák-ma:n-z, G. **h2ak-mán-a:s -> *h2ák^mo:n, *&2k^ménos
HD: *pa-h2tár-z, G. *pa-h2tar-ás -> *p&2té:r, *p&2trés
PD static: **wá:d-an, G. *wa:d-án-a:s -> *wódr, *wédnos
collective: **wad-á:n-h2, G. *wad-a:n-ás -> *udó:r, *udéns
For instance, the G. **pa:d-ás becomes **pad&'s (reduction rule), then
**pád&s (initial accent rule) then *péds (zero-grade rule).
Likewise **wa:d-án-a:s > **wad&'nos > **wád&nos > *wédnos, or
**wad-a:n-ás > **w&dan&'s > **w&dán&s > *udéns.
To explain the thematic forms, all we need is to suppose that the
thematic vowel /&/ was affected not only by a following voiced segment
(giving /&:/ > /o/), but also by a following voiceless segment (giving
strengthened **/a/ > /e/, the same sound that resulted from unstressed
**/a:/). In other words, the "thematic vowel rule" is a rule that
turns morpheme-final schwa's into "clear" vowels.
We then have:
reduct. them-vow. init-acc. zero
**tawd-á-t t&wd&'t t&wdát t&wdét tudét
**tawd-a-mán t&wd&m&'n t&wda:m&'n t&wdóm&n tudómen (!)
**bha:r-á-t bhar&'t bharát bhéret bhéret
**bha:r-a-mán bhar&m&'n bhara:m&'n bhérom&n bhéromen (!)
Note that the ending -men (-mes) is also unaffected by zero-grade, but
that might be analogical after normal stressed -mén (-més).
=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...