Re: [tied] The u-adjectives

On 2006-09-14 14:05, Joao S. Lopes wrote:

> *bHng^Hu- thick (cf. panku, pakhys)
> *bHrg^Hu- high (cf. parku, Brigantia, brhati, berg,
> burg)
> *dhr.s-ú- 'daring'
> *dHrg^Hu- "strong" (cf. trakhys)
> *dluk(^)-ú- 'sweet' (cf. glykys, dulcis)
> *dngHu- 'fast' (cf. takhys)
> *dnsu- (dntsu-?) dense, thick (cf. dassu, dasu,
> dasys)
> *gWh2ru- heavy (cf. barys, gravis, guru)

The *r comes first, the laryngeal second. Gk. /a/ isn't a reflex of &2
but the vocalisation of the PIE syllabic rhotic.

> *h1lNgWHu- light,nimble (cf. elakhys, laghu, raghu)
> *h1wé:s-u-_/*h1s- u- 'good'
> *h2m.g^H-ú- 'narrow'
> *kr.t-ú- 'strong'
> *leg^Hu- light (cf. levis, elakhys)

Strike **leg^H-u- out. There's no such word.

> *mldHu- soft (cf. mollis)
> *mrg^Hu- small, short (cf. brevis, brakhys, merry)
> *oh1k^ú- (?) 'swift'
> *pl.h1-ú- 'abundant'
> *pl.th2-ú- 'broad'
> *sweh2du- sweet (cf. sua:vis, he:dys, sva:du, sweet)
> *tn.h2-ú- 'thin'
> *tr.s-ú- 'dry'
> *wrh1-ú- (?) 'wide'

Further items could certainly be added, e.g. *h2r.g^-ú- 'shining,
white'; some u-adjectives have "Caland synonyms" with *-ró- (e.g.
*h1ln.gWH-ú-/*h1ln.gWH-ró-), but on the whole there is a clear
preference for *-ú- after roots containing a liquid or nasal and for
*-ró- elsewhere, suggesting a common source in pre-PIE times. The
exceptions above, *swah2d-u-, *h1we(:)s-u- and *oh1k^-u- may be of
different origin from the rest (note their atypical vocalism).

Piotr