Re: Re[6]: [tied] Re: PIE initial *a

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...>
To: "Patrick Ryan" <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 12:51 PM
Subject: Re[6]: [tied] Re: PIE initial *a


> At 4:40:48 AM on Thursday, May 15, 2008, Patrick Ryan wrote:
>
> > From: "fournet.arnaud" <fournet.arnaud@...>
>
> >> From: "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...>

<...>

> [Typo corrected.] Not when the conditioning factor is
> semantic/lexical. And even if the conditioning factors were
> phonological, the 'law', as worded, would in fact be merely
> a tendency. As stated it would also allow, for example,
> *dH > *d (loss of aspiration) and *d > *t (loss of voicing)
> under the same semantic conditions that allow loss of length.
>
> And in another vein altogether, it fails to explain multiple
> *ag- and *al- roots in Pokorny.

***

Patrick:

I do not know what you have in mind for *al-, but the difference between

*ag^-, 'drive', and

*a/a:g^-, 'goat',

is easily explained.

*ag^- derives from Pontic *Ha:gYA (> *a:g^-); *a/a:g-, 'goat', from Pontic
*Ha:gAy (> *a:gy- > a:g^-).


***