Re: IE Thematic Vowel Rule

> > > Looking at the a:-stem neuter nouns, we have the following:
> > >
> > > Nom. sg. *-a: pl. *-a:s
> > > Acc. sg. *-a:m pl. *-a:ns
> > > Gen. sg. *-a:s pl. *-a:om
> > > Dat. sg. *-a:i pl. *-a:is
> > > Abl. sg. *-a:d pl. *-a:is
> > > Ins. sg. *-a: pl. *-a:is
> > > Loc. sg. *-a:i pl. *-a:isu
> >
> > Why do you call them neuter? Do you mean feminine?
>
> Yes, sorry. That was a careless mistake. Change that

to "feminine".

>

> > > Again, this looks like it can be traced to an earlier

scheme,

> > > with *-a: < *-ex:
> > >
> > > Nom. sg. *-ex pl. *-ex-es
> > > Acc. sg. *-ex-m pl. *-ex-ns
> > > Gen. sg. *-ex-s pl. *-ex-om
> > > Dat. sg. *-ex-ei pl. *-ex-eis
> > > Abl. sg. *-ex-ed pl. *-ex-eis
> > > Ins. sg. *-ex-e? pl. *-ex-eis
> > > Loc. sg. *-ex-i pl. *-ex-isu
> >

I don't think *-ex-m would have as much as lasted half a century.
Consequently I don't think the second paradigm ever existed.
Recall that that /x/ (= h2) alternated with plain /k/; /x/ word-
finally, /k/ otherwise. Eg. Latin 'vorax' (-k-s). Without nom. -s:
Gr. gune: gunáik-.

The whole feminine -a: inflection arose _after_ (*-ek > *ak) *-ax >
*-a:, by dressing up the new perceived stem *-a: with the endings of
the o-inflection.

And here's an idea: since in IE Nordwestblock there was no rule *-k

> *-x (proof: padde, paddock ; Made, madikke, maggot) there was no

vowel-ending new stem on which to base a feminine gender. Which is
why the Northern Germanic languages (ie. North and West Germanic
minus High German) have a tendency towards losing the feminine; the
occupied masses never learned it (or the point of it).


Torsten