--- In cybalist@..., tgpedersen@... wrote:
> plus the fact that the
> language on the birch bark pieces in Novgorod shows West-slavic
> influence
No it doesn't. This dialect (indeed unrealized language) shows strong
and consistent difference from what one could call 'Standard Old
Russian', but this difference is by no means due to West-Slavic
influence. Krivichian dialect, which contributed to Novgorod/Pskov
interdialectal koine (which is mosly represented in bich bark
inscriptions), has some features not found in (what we could very
conditionally call) 'East Slavic' and found in 'West Slavic', but it
has as well some features found in 'South Slavic' only, and, which is
much more interesting, has unique features not found in any recorded
Slavic language/dialect. For instance, so called 'second
palatalization' (*{k,g,x}{e^,i2<*oi}>*{c,dz,s:s^}) failed, cf.
amazing (at least for a Slavicist) examples like zamUke kE^le 'lock
(is) unbroken' vs. canonical form *zamUkU ce^lU, xe^rI 'gray crash'
vs. se^rI.
Sergei