Re: xW/w (was: Lithuanian diphthongs)

From: stlatos
Message: 67747
Date: 2011-06-12

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


> The ex. with * d*oxW+ 'give' might include:
>
> * wedH+d*oxWn.ó+ > * wedHd*-xW-n.ó+ 'wedding gift'
> >
> OE wituma 'dowry'
> etc.
>
> if xW>w>u, but it's hard to tell since x() > _ > u (filled in by the unmarked V) was opt. between syl. in Gmc.
>


If anyone should doubt the possibility of * wedHd*-xW-n.ó+ due to his belief in supposed rules of PIE compounding, I would say that no one else has discovered those rules beyond the simplest regular ones at the latest PIE stage.


For example, ~standard * wèkW+ = speak/say, * wègWH+ = speak/say/vow, are too close together to be unrelated, and must actually be * wègWH-xY+ < wègWHdH-xY+ < wèkWdH-xY+ < wèkW+dHèxY+ = make statement / make vow.


Metathesis is probably the origin of:

*
wegWH-xYónt+
wexY-gWHónt+
we_-gWHónt+
wee-gWHónt+

va:ghát- = one who makes offerings V S;


There are dozens of similar words at approximately this level of ease of reconstruction. Most linguists have not even tried to find origins in compounding from similar words that allow such a possibility due to their meaning.