Re: [tied] Re: Sanskrit "hrd" and "hanu"

xiangbolin <xiang@...> wrote:

--- In cybalist@... s.com, Andrew Jarrette <anjarrette@ ...> wrote:
>
> Does anyone know the reason why Sanskrit has <h-> in <hrd> "heart"

(also <ha:rdi>) where non-Indo-Iranian languages all have evidence of
*k^-? I think also Avestan has <z-> in this word too.
> Similarly, why does <hanu> "jaw" have <h-> where non-Indo-Iranian

IE all show *g^-? I remember the theory that <dva:r> "door" has <d->
instead of <dh-> by the influence of <dva:> "two" (because doors often
come in pairs, double-doors) , but what could be the explanation for
<hanu> and <hrd>?
>
> Andrew
>

Dear Andrew,

The expected form *zrd- indirectly exists at least in zraddhA <
*k^red-dheh1 "faith" proving that the h- is not ancient here.

My own guess on this issue is that hRd- might have appeared in a
collocation in proto-Sanskrit *zRdi hrSTa- "joyful in his heart", then
the h of hRSTa was copied to *zRdi and it changed to the attested form
hRdi.

However, the supposed expression ? hRDi hRSTa- (or ? hRdi hRSTe with
absolute locative "his heart being joyful") does not seem attested in
the MhB (in searched the electronic version), and if it is not
attested at all, my argument is very shaky.

Guillaume

By "zraddha:" and "zrd" I take it you mean "sraddha:" and "srd" with the accented <s> that represents the Sanskrit palatal fricative.

I read your argument and I don't think it likely that as special and seldom an expression as "joyful in one's heart" could cause the word for "heart" to assimilate to the first consonant of the word for "joyful". It is as though one would expect English to have "jeart" for "heart" because of "joyful". It seems exceptionally unlikely to me. I think there must be another word, perhaps a word for an organ or a word for mind, soul, spirit, intellect, courage, etc. that influenced "s'rd". I don't know Sanskrit well enough to guess which word that might be.

Andrew