Chico ([tied] Re: Romance Pequeno, Pequeño [...])

From: m_iacomi
Message: 31748
Date: 2004-04-06

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Joao" wrote:

>> I fail to see why you reconstruct the series above: Latin "pl-"
>> yields normally Spanish "ll-" (plorare > llorar, plaga > llaga,
>> planus > llano, plenus > lleno, etc.), far away from /tS/.
>
> Yes, pl>ll, but through a hypothetical metathesis *piclu > *plicu.
> Just a guess.

If not reduced to "ll-", cluster "pl-" is rendered as is (/pl/) in
Spanish, in no case is reduced to /tS/: Gr. platós > VL *plattus >
Sp. plata `silver`; VL *plattea > Sp. plaza; Gr. planêtês > Lat.
plane:ta > Sp. planeta; Lat. plumbum > Sp. plomo; Lat. plura:lis >
Sp. plural, etc.
Summing up, "pl-" can yield Spanish "pl-" or "ll-", but never
Spanish "ch-" as in "chico". So *piclu > *plicu [> Sp. *plico
:-)] is a series which doesn't lead to an existen word, hence
no reason for assuming this series of reconstructed items ever
existed.

Regards,
Marius Iacomi