--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@...> wrote:
>
> The alternation ibarr ~ ibai occurs occasionally in Basque (e.g.
bizkarr
> "back, ridge" ~ bizkai (> Biscay); hamarr "10" ~ hamai- "-teen").
It's not
> a regular sound correspondence, so it's hard to know what to make
of it.
>
> The suffix -arr is suspected to have been a collective. It is quite
> frequent in Basque (bizkar "back", belar "grass", izar "star", bular
> "breast", adar "horn", etc.). Since the alternation -arr ~ -ai
only seems
> to occur in instances of this collective suffix -arr, we may be
dealing
> with a morphological alternation -arr/-ai rather than something
phonetical.
Hello, Miguel
I also think that /-arr/ is an old collective suffix. Many words with
this ending are still obscure in their roots, e.g. /bizkar/, /bular/.
I read a suggestion that /ibai/ could be derived from /*ur-bani/, but
it looks improbable. We have possible match with toponyms in Iberia
(not only Vasconic) in /bai-/, so the i- could be a prefix. But I
found no plausible relative for the root in NEC or elsewhere.
Some authors linked this word whith African forms (e.g. Trombetti),
but they are now only bones and ashes.
There are a plenty of arguments in favor of Michelena's and Trask's
reconstructions, and I don't understand why they are still refused by
many people.
I ask me if tgpedersen is a crackpot.
About Sumerian items, I'm still doubtful: /tibira/ et similar could
be from Hurrian.
Best wishes
Marco