Re: [tied] Gmc. *bru:diz

Is it really Paul Kiparsky's? Pokorny makes the connection as well, as does the EIEC (no doubt after Pokorny). No exact derivation is offered by either for the Germanic 'brain' word, but *mrog(^)H- + *-ono- seems plausible (cf. *wog^H- + *-ono- > *wag(a)na- and other similar forms in Germanic (whatever this *-ono- actually is). Gk. brekHmós and brékHma (*mreg(^)H-mó-, *mrég(^)H-mn) have a deverbal look to them. Has anyone suggested an interpretation of this underlying *mreg(^)H-?

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: Jens Elmegaard Rasmussen

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 2:37 PM

Subject: Re: [tied] Gmc. *bru:diz

On Fri, 18 Oct 2002, Miguel Carrasquer wrote: [For IE *mr- > Germanic br-] > > Perhaps OE, OS bregdan "to plait", Du. breien "to knit" ~ Grk. brokhós > "Strick, > Schlinge, Masche", MIR. braige, braga "captive", OCS mre^z^a "Netz, > Schlinge" > (*mregh-) ? It *is* beginning to look good. I have also wondered, in the light of the new idea on *bru:diz, if the connection made by P.Kiparsky between Eng. brain and Greek brekhm¢s 'front part of the head' (reported by Mayrhofer, Idg.Gr., Lautlehre p. 114) should be taken to represent IE *mr-, not *bhr-. That would sidestep the Grassmann problem addressed by Kiparsky and Mayrhofer. I think we must congratulate João Simões Lopes Filho (whose name won't come out right on my new computer) on a very felicitous idea. Sometimes this list does produce real progress. Let's have some more, Joao! Jens

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