Re: Satem and desatemisation (was: Albanian (1))

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "P&G" <petegray@...> wrote:

> >Looking at the phylogeny in Gray & Atkinson, I wonder if it is
> >plausible that Western IE (Celtic, Italic and Germanic)
> >is 'desatemised Satem'?
>
> One of the marks of the satem group is the merger of *kW and *k.

Once this

> has happened, it cannot "unhappen". But Celtic, Italic and

Germanic all

> show this distinction. Therefore it cannot have happened. So they

cannot

> be 'desatemised Satem'
>

Most likely *k^ etc went /k'/ > /c^/ > /s^/ (> s). Nothing here
forces /kW/ > /k/. At least 'dec^etemisation' would have been
possible.

Torsten