--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Wordingham" wrote:
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alexandru_mg3" <alexandru_mg3@...>
> wrote:
>
>> 2. And another question for you : how Latin *abellona (<
>> abellana [nux] see DEX) could give Romanian aluna ?
>>
>> Is somehow via b>zero and next ae>a ?
>
> Yes. Intervocalic Latin <b> and <v> usually drops in Romanian.
> Consequent contraction of the vowels to a single vowel is common -
> I don't claim to know the precise details.
Intervocalic <b> or <v> may disappear in Balkan Romance, as a well
known evolution (caballus > cal, pavimentum > pãmânt, *expavorere >
speria, cubitus > cot; stress plays also some role). The resulting
hiatus (not diphthong) is usually reduced (in Balkan Romance, not in
Latin) to the open vowel (/a/), if unstressed.
The stress issue is still to be remembered when dealing with vowels,
that's why all "examples" for /ae/ > /*aa/ > /a/ (already fallacious
for other reasons) cannot be taken into account for stressed vocalism
as in praeda > pràdã.
Speaking about the latter, formation of plural doesn't show anything
but the word has some centuries in the language. The same pattern is
shown by more recent loanwords as Sl. <kadI> > Rom. <cadã> pl. <cãzi>
or Germ. <Lade> > Rom. <ladã> pl. <lãzi>; but Fr. <rade> > Rom. <radã>
pl. <rade>, Fr. <fade> > Rom. <fad>, fem. <fadã>, fem. pl. <fade>. The
choice between the two ways of plural formation is essentially related
to style: the normal alternations a-ã and d-z are perceived as "rude"
because they affect the stem, so one would try to avoid them if not
already accustomed with.
Regards,
Marius Iacomi
PS - TILR gives actually an Aromanian form <fluér>, with emphasis on
stress position, not <flùer> as I wrote in my earlier message (with
similar stress as in DR), I apologize for hurry typing
PPS - I still think these issues have little to do with (P)IE but
with (Balkan) Romance linguistics