SV: SV: The long awaited athematic answer to the athematic question

From: Urban Lindqvist

There is an interesting explanaion for this -äs. (by Jasanoff if I remember correctly): *-ti, *-dhi > *-si > -s. (before word boundary). Supporting evidence: imperative pis. (Toch. A), päs. (Toch. B) of the verb i- 'to go'. This would be the ordinary imperative particle p- + a reflex of *i-dhi. We also have the subjuntive s´mäs. ('he'll come', from the root käm- < *gwem-) < *gwem-e-ti (with palatalization and syncope).

I suppose this would also mean that the athematic ending had to be taken over from the thematic verbs; they differ only in palatalization of the preceding consonant. Any comments?

Yes, I have one: in Toch. A it's not uncommon with anaptyctic vowels (ä) to break up consonant clusters. That might be another source for the vowel in the athematic ending -äs.

Urban II