Piotr Gasiorowski wrote:
>
>> 2)why should change Rom. then an "np" > "mp"?
>
> There never was a Slavic [-np-] in this word. Proto-Slavic had a
> nasal vowel here. This historical nasal vowel is realised as [om]
> before a labial stop in Polish, and any language without nasal vowels
> would almost certainly replace *o~ with a vowel plus a nasal
> homorganic with the following stop in loans from Slavic. Romanian
> regularly did so too (*o~C --> uNC ~ âNC, where N has the same place
> of articulation as the following stop)
>
> Piotr
OK, it seems I understand now. So there was no "np" but just "o~C".
Now the "m" and "n". When I try to say "n" I feel the tongue moving at
the root of the tooth up in the palathal area , trying to say "m" is not
the same thing.
M- is indeed a labial one , without lips it is not possible to be
pronounced ( in the languages I know a bit):
The "n" like in german "nein" doesn't need the lips, you can say it with
mouth big open. For "n" the tongue make the most of the job, for "m" the
role job is made by lips. Or is there labial m & n and nasal m & n?
OK , now to the o~C -> uNC should be regulary give an umC in Rom.
It seems just for this "np" is the change "mp". in the other situations
there is no "mC" but a regular "nC"
But even for o~p is not regular this one. So Slavic kopanU should have
given in Rom. "copan"
the explanation maybe is that not everywhere where I see the slavic "o"
is a nasal "o". The question should be: how can one distinguish which
one is a nasal "o" and which one is a clear "o"?
Look for example the word "a mânji"= to dirty; to grime; to sully. This
one is supposed to come from slavic "mazati" (meaning=?).
In this case do we have here an nasal "a" in Slavic too?
the word "mândru" = proud should be from slavic "mondru"= wise.
Now we have words where Rom. Lang has no nasal but the slavic word has
it. For instance "copaie"=trough" should be from Slavic "kopanja"
Thwe word "copitã"=hoof ( Germ Huf, is there an IE *kup/*kop?. I guess
this is in latin to find too as a compound word) should come from Slavic
kopyto. You see it seems not so easy with these nasals.
I guess is more better I will prepare a list for people who has pleasure
to see these changes.
Alex