a, nu...

In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alex" wrote:

> My books here does not help me too much since (wonder?) Romanian
> has not kept the Latin sufix "-anus".

... as suffix. See "român".

> At least in all suffixes given by Rosetti as coming from
> Latin, "-anus" is missing or I did not found it until now.

Stressed -a:nus would normally lead to -ân(u).

[...]

> vjetak= einjärig ( looks like vãtui from meaning, doesn't it?)
> vjetër = old
> vjetërim= Old age, (Alter, Veralten, Abnutzung, Verschleiß)
> vjetëron= to grow old ( veralten lassen, alt machen)

Albanian "vjet" meaning `(last) year` is the ultimate originator
of all these words; according to Demiraj it is derived from a PIE
root meaning `year`, having the Greek cognate "etos" (`year`).

> I would like to know if the vjetër is a metathesis form of vjetrë
> here or not.

[...]

> For these reasons the ex-soldier does not become anymore old in
> Romanian, but there is a absolutely normal evolution within the
> Rom. language with no help from any "veterans".

... conveniently forgetting about other Romance derivatives with
similar meanings and major phonetical difficulties (for instance:
Albanian substrate "vjedh(ull)" corresponds to Romanian "viezure"
and the alleged correspondence between Albanian "vjetër" and
Romanian "bãtrân" with "vje-" <-> "bã-" is just a dream).

Marius Iacomi