Classical Armenian has a category of nouns and adjectives (the so-called
wo- and ea-stems), characterized by a nom. sg. in -i and a rather bizarre
set of endings.
Plain o- and a:-stems are declined as follows:
o-stems
NA -0 < *-os, *-om
L -0, -i < *-o: (?), *-oi
GDAb -oy < *-ósyo
I -ow < *-ó-bhi
N -k` < *-o:S
AL -s < *-o(:)ns
GDAb -oc` < *-ó-sk^i
I -owk` < *-óbhiS
a:-stems
NA -0 < *-a:, *-a:m
GDL -i < *-a:i
Ab -ê < *-a: + *eti
I -aw < *-á:-bhi
N -k` < *-a:S
AL -s < *-a:ns
GDAb -ac` < *-á:-sk^i
I -awk` < *-á:bhiS
The wo- and ea-stems go like this:
NA -i -i
GD -woy -woy
Ab -woy -woj^ê
L -i -woj^
I -wow -eaw
N -ik` -ik`
AL -is -is
GDAb -woc` -eac`
I -wowk` -eawk`
As Birgit Olsen demonstrates in "The noun in Biblical Armenian", the
Armenian wo- and ea-stems are etymologically derived from PIE (i)yo- and
(i)ya:-stems.
My formulation of the soundlaws that make these paradigms so characteristic
would be:
*-iyó- > *-iwó- > -wo-
*-iyá- > *-iwá- > -ea-
The soundlaw does not apply if the (pre-Armenian penultimate) stress falls
somewhere else (specifically, where we have *-íyo-, *-íya-).
My attempt at reconstruction:
masculine/neuter (i)yo-stems:
N *-íyos > *-íyo > -í
A *-íyom > *-íyo > -í
n *-íyom > *-íyo > -í
G *-iyósyo > *-iwóyo > -wóy
D *-íyo:y > *-íyu(i) (-wóy)
L *-íyoy > *-íyi > -í
I1 *-íyo: > *-íyu > -í
I2 *-iyó-bhi > *-iwóBi > -wów
N *-íyo:S > *-íyuk` > -ík`
A *-íyo:ns > *-íyus > -ís
n *-íya: > *-íya > -í ==> sometimes transfer to (i)ya:-stems
G2 *-iyó-sk^i > *-iwóc`i > -wóc`
I *-iyóbhiS > *-iwóBik` > -wówk`
feminine (i)ya:-stems:
N *-íya: > *-íya > -í
A *-íya:m > *-íya > -í
G *-iyóya:s > *-iwóya > -wóy
DL *-iyóya:y > *-iwóya(i) > -wóy
I1 *-iyóyya:(m) > *-iwój^a > -wój^
I2 *-iyá:-bhi > *-iwáBi > -eáw
N *-íya:S > *-íyak` > -ík`
A *-íya:ns > *-íyas > -ís
G2 *-iyá:-sk^i > *-iwác`i > -eác`
I *-iyá:bhiS > *-iwáBik` > -eáwk`
Note that the feminine (i)ya:-stems in the singular have the "long" a:-stem
endings G. -oya:s (Skt. -a:ya:s), DL. -oya:y (Skt. -a:ya:i), I. -oyyá:(m)
(Skt. -aya:, OCS -ojoN), as do the isolated words kin (*gWena:) "woman" and
mi "one" (*smih2 > *smia:):
NA kin mi
G knoj^ mioy, mioj^
DL knoj^ mium, mioj^
Ab knoj^ê mioj^ê
I knaw miow
=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...