From: Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
Message: 4725
Date: 2000-11-14
>Piotr asked:Another piece of evidence: Gothic du. oblique pronouns <ugkis> "us
>>What is the real evidence for a laryngeal in the dual ending?
>
>I wish I had it all at my fingertips, but I don't.
>
>(a) length is suggestive (e.g. Greek -o: in the thematic declension; fem -a:
>as opposed to short -a in the 3rd declension, and surviving as -a: [not e:]
>in the first)
>
>(b) The behaviour of the dual in Vedic. e.g. the long i: of duals is not
>shortened in pronuncation before a vowel (see McDonnel's grammar p437,f n3).
>Likewise the duals in -i:, -u: and -e do not cause the elision of a
>following initial a-.
>
>(c) The dual forms in -u are suggestive if compared with other situations
>where we posit a laryngeal and find forms with -u, e.g. Sanskrit dadau (I
>gave <*deh3) but cakara (no -u) for the words that do not end in a long
>vowel < a laryngeal.