Re: Brugmann's Law

On 2008-01-18 00:39, ualarauans wrote:

> Thanks for the clues. BTW I heard a weird idea that these words
> originally were a part of a sacral vocabulary utilized in fertility
> cults and that their semantic degradation started with Christianity.
> Etymological parallels in other IE languages if found could shed
> some light upon this.

That the verb could have had some sacral use in PIE is hardy a weird
idea, especially if the Zephyrus connection in Greek can be defended
(note, though, that {yabH-} doesn't occur in the RV). On the other hand,
I don't know of any evidence that it was still so used till the advent
of Christianity.

> Makovsky in his Sravnitel'nyj slovar' mifologic^eskoj simvoliki v
> indoevropejskix jazykax (1996) reconstructs for the "basic formula"
> _j**b tvoju mat'_ the original meaning "be thou cursed with [my]
> word/hand" (pp. 188-201, s.v. kliatva). I'm not sure if that makes
> sense. Opinions?

Now, this _is_ weird. Why not take the phrase at face value?

Piotr