Re: [tied] Etruscan numerals

From: enlil@...
Message: 34830
Date: 2004-10-24

Marco making the following association with Etruscan /hutH/:
> NEC Protoform: *he>mq.y Meaning: four...
> [...]
> NEC /q/ does NOT correspond to Etr. /t/: the final consonant in
> huth is apparently an old fossilized marker.

Based on what perchance? It's easy to make up a "fossilized marker".


> I think Glen was unable to provide convincing explanation of IE -
> Tyrrhenian sound correspondences.

The correspondances are straightforward. There is a period of
delabialisation of labiovelars and devoicing. So *k, *g, *kW and *gW
all merge to Tyrrhenian *k. Velars only become Etruscan /h/ when they
have been uvularized in early Tyrrhenian. Uvularization also affects
laryngeals such that the normal equation of initial Etr h- = IE
*x-/*hW- is disrupted and we find ZERO instead.

The former more common pattern of simple delabialization and devoicing
is shown with much more transperency and clear examples than what you've
provided so far:

IE Etruscan IndoTyrrh.
*kWer- "to make" /cer-/, /car-/ "to make" *kWer- "make"
*kWe "and" /-c/ "and" *kWe "and"
*dWo:u "two" /zal/ "2" *t:We "two"
/zatHrum/ "20"
*xenti "ahead" /hantHe/ "ahead" *hentai "ahead"

-------------------------------------------
IndoTyr Tyrrhenian
*t, *t:, *tW, *t:W > *t
*d, *dW > *tH
*t:W (when palatalized) > *c ("ch" sound)

*k, *k:, *kW, *k:W > *k
*g, *gW > *kH

*h-, *hW- > *h-
*-h-, *-hW- > ZERO
-------------------------------------------

Uvularization is present in these examples:

IE Etruscan IndoTyrrh.
*kWetwor- "four" /hutH/ "four" *kWatWan "4"
*xeiw- "to live" /avil/ "age, year" *haiw- "to live"

-------------------------------------------
IndoTyr Tyrrhenian
*k, *k:, *g, *kW, *k:W, *gW > *h
*h-, *hW- > ZERO
-------------------------------------------

Other devoicing-only examples are:
IE Etruscan IndoTyrrh.
*dHi "in" -tHi "in" *dei "in"
*dei- "to shine" tin "sun" *t:ei- "to shine"
*xndHer- "under" hintHiu "under" *hendei "under"


= gLeN