Re: [tied] Re: p/k, celtic AND dacian

A few (not uncontested) etymologies suggest that Albanian may have preserved the contrast between *k^, *k and *kW before front vowels. Thus, *k^e, *ke, *kWe are supposed to yield Alb. <the>, <ke> and <se>, as if only *kWe had been palatalised (via Proto-Albanian *c^e; *k^ and *k are reflected as <th> and <k> also before back vowels). Perhaps *k was originally uvular rather than velar, which would explain its resistance to palatalisation. Anyway, the diagnostic Satem feature, the context-free shift of *k^ and *g^(H) > Proto-Albanian *ts, *dz > Albanian <th>, <dh> /þ, ð/ is there and makes Albanian an unambiguously Satem language.

Examples of Satem developments in Dacian come from placenames (e.g. Berzobis/Berzovia, Aizisis, if < *bHerh2g^o- 'birch', *aig^(i)- 'goat') and plant names (e.g. those in -zela, -zila, -dela, if related to Slavic zelje 'herb' < *g^Hel-, seba 'elderberry < *k^ei-h1-w-a: 'dark-coloured'?). I'll try to provide some more material later.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: gleyink

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 2:21 PM

Subject: [tied] Re: p/k, celtic AND dacian

Thanks, Piotr! The phonological ease of the transformation kW>p, gW>b is one of the reasons that I asked about any independent evidence for a "P-type" character of Dacian. Now I must ask another amateur question: what is the evidence for Satem character of Dacian? I know really little about attestation and onynomics of the old Balkan IE languages. Furthermore, even if Dacian WAS Satem, does it preclude a substrate effect? Dacian is considered by many (including, I believe, yourself) to be the likely progenitor of modern Albanian. Although Albanian is considered to be Satem it is also often argued to preserve distinct phonemes for the three original IE stop series, the velars, the palatovelars, and the labiovelars (k,k',kW). Of course, I understand this is itself a debated point.