Re: long o: Nominative

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alexandru_mg3" <alexandru_mg3@...> wrote:

>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alexandru_mg3" <alexandru_mg3@>
> >
> > Yes, I have asked about this....
> >
> > http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=--ssbDUSJfIC&pg=PA439&dq=long+o+nominative+marker+indo+european#PPA439,M1
> >
> > Marius
> >
>
> In fact my question was : are there 'pure' long vowels in PIE ?
>
> (I mean not resulting from something else...)
>
> Marius
>

(I'm only replying in case none of the other more knowledgeable members don't reply):

Probably not, I think. Long vowels are the result of thematic vowel plus laryngeal, of crasis of two vowels (e.g. -o- of o-stems plus -es plural ending), of lengthening in stressed monosyllables, of compensatory lengthening due to lost consonants (-o:s < *-oss, -o:(n) < *-ons, -o:r < *-ors, etc.), and perhaps other processes that I forget here. I can't think of any original long vowels.

Andrew