Re: [tied] Origin of Demeter

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 28989
Date: 2003-12-31

31-12-03 13:16, Joao wrote:

> Some IE language that is not Greek. Perhaps some Illyrian-like or
> Thracian-like.
> One possibility is that da: < *Da: < *g^a: , similar to Albanese

_Modern_ Albanian has dhe < *3ø: (where *3 stands for a [dz]-type
affricate), which I imagine comes from something like *(3)3o:(N) <
*g^Hðo:m (as traditionally transcribed, perhaps = */g^(d)zH-/). Not
really so similar.

> -a: can be from -em or -M ?

But the free form of the word was *dHg^Ho:m, not *dHg^Hem. As regards
the Phrygian form, my best guess is that it may actually have been a
compound with dHg^Hm.- as the first element (syllabic nasals show up as
/aN/ sequences in Phrygian). To be sure the IE "core" reduces the old
cluster to *g^H- alone quite consistently before the syllabic nasal; but
then, <gd-> may be analogical (after the unattested free form of the word).

Piotr