Re: Proper methodology (was: RE: [tied] Re: Mother of all IE langua

From: Jens Elmegaard Rasmussen
Message: 28352
Date: 2003-12-11

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003, Miguel Carrasquer wrote:


[Against Glen who says Hitt. sume:s "couldn't be from **swei as Miguel
invents":]

> Of course it can.  See H. Craig Melchert "Anatolian Historical
> Phonology",
> p. 58, on Sievers-Lindeman in Anatolian, I quote:
>
> *swé:s "you"(pl.) > *suwé:s > Hitt. sume:s.

Well, Melchert wrote this, but why would we believe it is true? There are
several avenues from *yú:s, *usmé, *wos to usme:s, usma:s, -smas and so
hardly any need to posit IE protoforms with *sw-.

Jens