The palatal sham :) (Re: [tied] Re: Albanian (1))

From: elmeras2000
Message: 30841
Date: 2004-02-08

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "P&G" <petegray@...> wrote:
> >The evidence of comparative linguistics is, if anything, stronger
when it
> >operates between languages than within a single branch.
>
> That depends what we are trying to prove. If we are trying to
prove
> existence of a particular root or form, and reflexes of that root
or form
> are found in different languages, then that is stronger evidence
than
> finding them just in a single language. But if we are trying to
prove a PIE
> pattern involving more than one form, we have to find reflexes of
more than
> one form within the same language. Otherwise we only know that
some
> languages show this form, and some that - we can't prove that the
> alternation was a regular patterning in PIE.

I cannot find a good examples of acrostatic -o- alternating with
weak-case -e- in which the alternants are from the same language. We
have /pod-/ in Greek, /ped-/ in Latin, /do(:)m-/ in Armenian, /dem-/
in Greek, *nokWt- all over the place except Anatolian, *nekWt- only
in Hittite. Are we not allowed to combine them on the level of PIE?
And if we are, why must we not do the same with the forms of a-roots?

Jens