Re: Latinus geminus

From: Daniel J. Milton
Message: 54090
Date: 2008-02-24

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@...>
wrote:
>
> No, Remus is 'colored, dark one'.
>
> Patrick
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joao S. Lopes" <josimo70@...>
> To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2008 8:18 PM
> Subject: Res: [tied] Latinus geminus
>
>
> *yemonos > Latin *ieminus > corrupted > geminus
> *Yemos > Latin *Iemus > corrupted > Remus
*****
I've got lost in this complex thread and can't find what Patrick is
saying "No" to, but I'd rather see his evidence for "Remus -colored,
dark one", not just an ex cathedra pronouncement.

Puhvel (Comparative Mythology, last few pages) says "The
Proto-Roman names of 'Twin' and 'Man' may have been *Yemos and *Wiros,
or with the augmentative suffix *Yemenos and *Wirinos. *Yemenos
survives in the Old Irish 'emain' and in Latin 'geminus', both meaning
'twin'. The word-initial sequence *yem- has disappeared from the
Latin phonetic pattern and by some kind of cross-attraction has been
replaced by gem- in 'geminus'. The mythical name *Yemos, matching
Vedic 'Yama-' has been similarly transformed to 'Remus' by
alliterative association with 'Romulus'."
I'm inclined to trust Puhvel, or at least take him very seriously.
Dan