On Sat, 24 Nov 2001 17:10:19 -0000, "Knut" <aquila_grande@...>
wrote:

>I think I have an explanation for some of these features. According
>to my opinion, the thematic wovel actually originally was a part of
>the root. In Steppe I think many (if not all) noun roots ended in a
>wovel. I think Some of these root had this end-wovel permanently
>axentuated.
>
>When the zero-grade arose, the end-wovel of the root was thus
>protected, while the sentral wovel of the root got zero-grade. This
>protected end-wovel. I think this protected rott end-wovel is the
>origin of the thematic wovel.
>
>This hypotesis for the origin explains why the thematic wovel is
>protected from zero-grade, and why it is often attached to zero-grade
>roots.

If the thematic vowel were usually accented and attached to zero-grade
roots, there would be no problem. The problem is precisely that it's
often unaccented, yet not subject to zero grade, and that it's usually
attached to roots *not* in the zero grade.

>I other roots the axentuation shifted between the sentral wovel and
>the end wovel during inflection. Theese roots sometimes got zero-
>grade in the sentral wovel, sometimes in the end wovel. For these
>nouns the end wovel was redefined to be a part of the ending when it
>persisted.
>
>Thus two patterns of inflection arose, the thematic, and the
>athematic.
>
>I can give two examples:
>
>Acc welqwo`m > wlqwo`m
>Gen welqwo`se > wlqwo`s
>
>Acc de`ntom > dentm
>Gen dento`se > dnto`s (here the o was redefined as belonging to the
>ending)

There are many more inflectional patterns (acrostatic, mesostatic,
root-static; proterodynamic, hysterodynamic, amphidynamic,
root-mobile). The pattern with end-stress is the hysterodynamic one
(*ph2tér-s, *ph2tr-ós), not the thematic. The root-static, acrostatic
and mesostatic (collective) paradigms can be explained as arising from
originally mobile paradigms through the effect of long vowels in the
first, first and second syllables, respectively, resulting in a nice
picture of all mobile paradigms... And given the wide-spread
occurrence of thematic paradigms like *bhorós and *bhóros, etc., with
non-zero grade root vocalism and/or accent on the root, a "fixed
end-stress" explanation of the thematic paradigm really doesn't seem
to be the way to go.

=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...