On Mon, Dec 29, 2003, at 10:32 AM, Piotr wrote:
> It isn't _absolutely_ impossible. I was considering a Hungarian
> filter as a possible source of false pleophony (/kra-/ --> Hung.
> /kOrO-/ --> East Slavic /koro-/. I admit, however, that the
> evidence produced by you and by Sergei looks decisive.
>
> Piotr
The Hung. variant <karácsony> is to be pronounced this
way:
['kO-ra:-tSoñ]
i.e., in the 2nd syllable the [a] must be long and
broad, so that the mouth opened to utter it must be as
wide opened as to be able to eat all culinary goodies
prepared for Xmas, e.g. the <kalács> ['kO-la:tS],
namely those pastry creations that bear a Slavic
name, AFAIK (in Polish <kolacz>?) [note the same
"symetry" /O/ versus /a:/] :-))
(Such an [a] is written as <ah> and <aa> in some
European languages. The Hungarian writing opted for
<á>. Thus, <á> [a:], whereas <a> [O], as in BE <not,
hot, lot, Nottingham, Tottenham, bottle>.)
George