On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 22:26:46 +0100, Miguel Carrasquer <
mcv@...> wrote:
>On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 19:28:17 +0100 (MET), Jens Elmegaard Rasmussen
><jer@...> wrote:
>
>>I do not know on what basis *swey has been posited in the first place. If
>>it has been invented to account for Celtic *swi:(s) 'you (pl.)'
>
>That and Hittite sume:s, -smas, Avestan xs^ma, Tocharian -me.
The last one might come over as a bit cryptic. Let me explain:
Tocharian and Hittite have merged the reflexes of the 2pl. and 3pl.
enclitic/possessive forms. Hittite has <-smas> (2/3pl. dat. encl.) [but
1pl. <-nas>], <-smis> (2/3pl. poss). Tocharian has merged all the plural
forms (encl. <me> 1/2/3pl.). This can be explained if besides *<usmé> (and
analogical *<yusmé>), the 2pl. acc. also had a form *<sWsmé> (regular from
**tu-atu-má), identical to the 3rd. person/reflexive pronoun *<sWsmé>
(regular from **su-atu-má). This *sWsmé is what we find in Av. acc.
<xs^ma> (or <s^ma>) "you (pl.)". Subsequently in Tocharian, all plural
enclitics 1. *<nsme> 2. *<sme> 3. *<sme> merged as *<sme> > Toch. <me>.
=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...