Re[2]: [tied] PIE meaning of the Germanic dental preterit

From: Brian M. Scott
Message: 54455
Date: 2008-03-02

At 7:50:12 PM on Saturday, March 1, 2008, tgpedersen wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
> <miguelc@...> wrote:

>> On Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:52:29 -0000, "tgpedersen"
>> <tgpedersen@...> wrote:

>>>Why PIE e: > Gothic a?

>> Because that's what it gives. What else could it give?
>> Acute long vowels are shortened in Gothic, so the choices
>> are limited to -a, -i or -u. We have -o: > -a, -e: > -a,
>> -i: > -i (I'm not aware of any cases of -u:, but if there
>> were, I suppose -u: > -u).

> I read your answer as saying that we have no other case of
> PIE *-e: > Gothic -a ?

Goth. <þamma> 'this, that' (dat.) (PIE *tosme:)
Goth. <hvamma> 'whom, what' (dat.) (PIE *kWosme:)

Brian