Re: s-stems in Slavic and Germanic

On 2009-02-06 01:02, Andrew Jarrette wrote:

> Right. How about the OHG strong feminine o:-stem plurals, e.g.
> nom./acc. pl. <geba:>? What explains the <-a:>? Is it from an
> accusative ending that first shortened the ending (*-o:nz > *-onz or
> *-a:nz (PIE) > *-anz, then *-anz/onz > *-a~ > *-a:) then nasalized
> it, finally becoming a long <a:>?

Probably *-a:ns > *-o:nz (possibly with an analogically restored *o:,
since Gmc. normally shows Osthoffian shortening before such clusters),
merging with *-o:s (or just getting replaced by the nom.pl.) in some
dialects (ON, Gothic) and with *-o:n in others (WGmc.). I has long been
thought that the OE variation -a ~ -e in the nom./acc.pl. reflects *-o:z
~ *-o:nz.

Piotr