[tied] Re: IE prefix "*s"

Hello Glen,
You said :
" Personally, although this is just one of many theories, I think
that it never had a function in IE ..."

The author point out your opinion too...saying :

"
The s-mobile, a very common phenomenon, has been characterized by
IEists as imparting no particular meaning to the verbs it begins; a
meaning that would be nearly undetectable is a simple causative
nuance, particularly if the causative was allowed reflexive use.

The s-mobile, so-called because it can be removed without apparent
semantic change, should not be confused with another IE prefixed
formative, su-, which is simply the IE element su/u:-, "well, good"`,
i.e. "energetically . . ." or ". . . to completion".

Interestingly, some Sumerian verb formations contain the prefixed
element shu-2, "totality", which is probably an analogous device to
the prefixing of IE su/u:-, "well, good", whether or not cognate:

*ed-, "eat" and swa:d-, "sweet (="good-eating")"
"



--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Glen Gordon" <glengordon01@...>
wrote:

> Alexandru_mg3:
> >8) The adjective formant **s(e)-', '**strong (from Proto-Language
> >SA)', could be prefixed to any of the above described forms, and
> >signified intensivity; this is the Indo-European s-mobile.
>
> That's the worst link to go by. The real answer is that the function
> of the *s-mobile, if there was one, is unknown. So there are a lot
> of theories that need to be evaluated with care.
>
> Personally, although this is just one of many theories, I think

that it

> never had a function in IE and is nothing more than fossilized
> remnants of the causitive prefix used in Semitic verbs. In other
> words, Semitic loans would have been borrowed into pre-IE with
> these *s- prefixes attached. Occasionally one would find pairs of
> loans with and without this un-IE prefix, giving rise to the "s-

mobile"

> fiasco. So eventually, alll verbs starting with *sC- (C = any

consonant),

> whether originally IE loans or not, came to be treated the same with
> an optional prefix. This is just a suggestion though.
>
>
> = gLeN
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8.
> http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/bcomm&pgmarket=en-ca&RU=http%3a%2f%

2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca