The centum-word.

From: Glen Gordon
Message: 6748
Date: 2001-03-25

Miguel V:
>About the ordinals: it is often said that the common ordinal suffix
>*-t�s has its *t from *dek^mt, from where [i.e. from *d(e)k^mt-�s,
>reinterpreted as *dek^m-t�s] it spread to the other numbers. The
>original suffix would have been thematic *-�s, added to the zero
>grade of the numeral. A problem here is Sanskrit, which has das'am�- (<
>*dek^m.(m)-�s), but still has *-t(h)� in 6th (s.as.th�-) and 7th
>(sapta-th�-).

Gee, that is a problem. I suppose we'll have to accept *dekm- as the
original stem of "ten" instead of **dekmt :) As for Miguel's **trety-
explanation... whatever makes him happy.

-gLeN

_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com