Basilica

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alex" wrote:

>> In fact, Romanian word "bisericã" (with all its (sub-)dialectal
>> forms) exhibits rhotacism of intervocalic /l/, as pointed out by
>> George. That means it was in the language before first Slavic
>> loanwords in Romanian -> it's inherited and not a medieval church
>> loanword.
>
> I wonder that you do not take in consideration the /i/ there. The
> question is not relevant for the Slavic issue of the discution
> but is relevant about the way it was inherited/loaned.

No. It isn't. The first /i/ is a late creation in Dacoromanian
and in Aromanian "bisearicã". Also Aromanian is "bãsearicã", or
even "bâsearicâ". In ancient Dacoromanian texts one has "besericã",
"bãsearecã", "bisearecã". In Meglenoromanian: "bãsericã" and in
Istroromanian: "bãserike". So the Common Romanian form hadn't any
/i/ in the first syllable, but an /&/, regular result of Latin
unstressed /a/ as the first one in "basilica". Later developements
are not relevant for what happened before Common Romanian split.

Cheers,
Marius Iacomi