On 2007-01-29 22:40, tgpedersen wrote:
> Six of one... Why is the first vowel of *mIn- a jer, but the first
> vowel of *tVb- a full vowel?
The eR/IR (~ UR) kind of vowel variation (often with a secondary weak
grade) is a normal phenomenon in Slavic, as in *beroN/*bIrati,
*z^enoN/*gUnati, *pelzjoN/*pIlzati, but the reduction of inherited *e to
/I/ is only sporadic before obstruents. My guess is that in frequently
used pronominal forms vowel reduction took place where the pattern felt
natural.
Piotr