Re: [tied] Re: Albanian (1)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Glen Gordon" <glengordon01@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 24, 2004 5:06 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Albanian (1)


> No, it's not that simple. We've already gone over (again and again)
> that the "palatal" velars _must_ be plain due to markedness. Since
> the purpose of theories is to explain things as best we can, it works
> against us to ignore the implausible sound system that IE is normally
> given. Theories should be optimalized as best we can, not left as
> "unlikely".
>
> Markedness forces us to reevaluate *k^ as plain *k, leaving
> traditional *k to be viewed as "marked". Marked with what? Uvularity
> is the best candidate given the phenomena already mentioned.
> Modern linguistic theory DEMANDS this reevaluation. There is little
> choice in the matter. Therefore the above palatal-based journey
> into pre-IE is a complete waste of time.

You are very categorical, but that doesn't make your position stronger. I
admit, this kind of system with the unmarked velar being rarer than the
marked one is "strange" but it is not impossible. We have all kinds of
strange things in PIE (like only *e and *o in the vocalic system presumably,
like only voiced aspirates etc. which all have to be handled one way or the
other), this would not be the first one. But, this system is the one at
which offspring-languages point to. Albanian has preserved three series (and
one Anatolian language as well supposedly?) which have to be reconstructed
from *k, *kw and *k'. The easiest solution then is to project this to PIE.
It *is* strange but it is not at all unpossible. And of course, it was
evidently not stabile and crushed soon. It didn't not have to present for a
long time. Imagine that there were no living lgs with clics and linguists
reconstructed one lg with them. All would shout - this is implausable! But
it is possible. Sometimes the typology only gets in the way because the
exceptions are always there. Not *every* lg is of *usual* and *likely*
system.

Mate