Latin -si- > Romanian -s- or -$- ? (was: [tied] Re: Albanian (1))

From: Richard Wordingham
Message: 30078
Date: 2004-01-26

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alex" <alxmoeller@...> wrote:
> Richard Wordingham wrote:
>
> >> In the form ArgeS appears problematicaly the "S". So far we
> > know, "S" in
> >> Rom. is just from an "s/+" or dialectal, from an "c/+"
> >
> > Do you have examples of the fate of Latin -si- before vowels?
>
> I cannot think of any now. Anyway, it must be a Latin "si:-" for
allowing
> palatalisantion since "si" should have yelded "se" in PBR and
there is no
> palatalisation under the influnece of unstressed "e". One will
maybe play
> the diphtongation game of "e" > "ie" and with this help will have
the
> requested medium for palatalisation.

On this front I already have the example of Latin _septem_ > Rom.
$apte '7'. I was thinking of words like Cassius, Moesia, passio:-ne
(m) 'suffering'. Romanian _pasiune_ 'passion' appears to be a loan
(I would expect *pãsune or *pã$une, as in _pã$une_ 'pasture' <
pastio: 'pasturing, grazing, feeding', if it were inherited.).

Prevocalic -se- should yield the same result, and bingo! Latin
ca:seus 'cheese' > Proto-Romance *casju(s) > Romanian ca$ 'green ewe
cheese'. Further examples would still be appreciated.

Richard.