Res: Res: [tied] Re: marko- = horse non IE ?

From: Joao S. Lopes
Message: 66121
Date: 2010-05-05

The fallow deer was not native of Post-glacial Europe, being introduced by the Romans from Asia. In Celtic, related names mean "cow, heifer". Original sense of Latin must be "roe deer" or "hind".

JS Lopes



De: Joao S. Lopes <josimo70@...>
Para: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Enviadas: Quarta-feira, 5 de Maio de 2010 13:34:57
Assunto: Res: [tied] Re: marko- = horse non IE ?

 

n-m > d-m = dissimilation?



De: "johnvertical@ hotmail.com" <johnvertical@ hotmail.com>
Para: cybalist@... s.com
Enviadas: Quarta-feira, 5 de Maio de 2010 11:39:10
Assunto: [tied] Re: marko- = horse non IE ?

 

--- In cybalist@... s.com, Octavià Alexandre wrote:
> IMHO, *marko- 'horse' (hardly a PIE word) isn't a Wanderwort from Altaic *mor- 'horse' as in communis opinio but an old (Mesolithic/ Upper Paleolithic) substrate item related to Altaic *n^argu 'young male deer/elk'. I call "Paleo-European" the substrate language(s) from which originated this kind of LW.
>
> Apparently, Paleo-Eurasian (my own version of Russian school's Eurasiatic) initials nasal *n-, *n^- were labialized in Paleo-European as *m- before back vowels /o,u/ (sometimes also before /a/), as in *moro- 'blackberry' ~ Altaic *nur^i- 'a k. of berry, grape' (cfr. Hittite muri- '(bunch of) grapes')

Uralic *mura "cloudberry" seems about as convincing a comparision here, which leaves this law of *n > *m not very well supported, unless you have more examples.

> and denasalized as *d- elsewhere, as in Latin da:m(m)a 'fallow deer' ~ Altaic *n^àme 'goat, deer'.

Assuming that this comparision is valid, can you rule out nasalization brought on by the medial -m- on the Altaic side? It is not apparent why should *n denasalize but *m should not.

John Vertical