Re: PIE comparative

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@...>
wrote:

>
> On 2006-01-19 14:15, tgpedersen wrote:
>
> > Would such a solution work for Nordwestblock placenames in -st ?
>
> At any rate, it's clear that the "suffix *-st-" in many cases

reflects

> *-sth2-o- (Skt. -stHa-), i.e. a thematicisation of a compound with
> *stah2- as the second member. Given the meaning of words like Skt.
> dvis.t.Ha- 'staying in two places', duh.stHa- 'unsteady, unhappy,
> wretched' ("badly situated"), and the relationship between such

pairs as

> Skt. nis.t.Ha:- (f.) 'state, condition' and nis.t.Ha-

(adj.) 'situated,

> grounded on', I think we are probably dealing with endocentric
> descriptive compounds (the "sunrise" type) involving a root noun
> corresponding to *stah2- 'stand', with the meaning 'standing-

place,

> location, condition'. The respective thematic adjectives mean
> 'pertaining to, remaining in a given place or condition' (the type

of

> Skt. dvi:pá- 'island, peninsula' < *[dwi- + h2ap-]-ó-). I would

not be

> surprised to find *-sth2o- in IE placenames anywhere, added to an
> element characterising the location in question.
>

There remains then to find IE roots for the first elements. But
there is no guarantee, cf Estonian istu- "stand". I vaguely recall
Möller having a Semitic cognate too.


BTW I looked at maps of various archaeological cultures. The one
that would fit the assumption of an AfroAsiatic connection best
would be the Bell Beaker culture, I think.


Torsten