[tied] Re: Eggs from birds and swift horses

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "P&G" <petegray@...> wrote:

> >I have suggested the following analysis of the imperfect
> >subjunctive *-se:- (ama:-re:-s, ppf.sbj. ama:vis-se:-s):
>
> It could also be form other analogies:
> (a) All other subjunctives have a long vowel before the s.
> (b) No verb form (other than the verb to be) ends in short -es.
> (c) Short -es everywhere else became -is (e.g gen singular 3rd

decl.).

> Analogy from the 1sg and 3 pl (where -em) did not change) restores

the

> quality of the vowel, and analogy from the ragged pattern of vowel

quantity

> in many other paradigms restores the quantity.

I won't exclude there are other avenues, but hardly this one. We are
talking about the creation of a preterite of the subjunctive, so it
cannot matter much what vowel length the subjunctive non-preterite
has, since its stem is plainly not involved. And the 1sg and the 3pl
which are invoked as models for a short -e- would have had *-om and
*-ont if the idea is that the ipf.sbj. was the s-aor.sbj. with
secondary endings.

Jens