--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "P&G" <petegray@...> wrote:
> Steady on! This is a little overstated. In Albanian there are a
few
> (?four) words that show *kW > s before an original front vowel,
while *k >
> g' in the same context. The lack of counter-examples has allowed
us to
> suggest that these are the regular reflexes, but the basis for
this rule is
> still slight! In most cases the outcome of PIE *kW and *k is
identical.
>
> With the voiced equivalents, *gW and *g, I believe the evidence is
even
> slighter (pace Piotr). In 1974 S Mann called the
evidence "ambiguous" -
> but perhaps more has come to light since then.
I found the evidence frustratingly ambiguous when I last looked into
it.
qeth 'cut (hair)' cannot be proved to have lost an /r/ and reflect
*kert-V-.
gjen 'find' does not have to reflect *ghend- (Gk. khandáno:, Lat.
prae-hendo:), but could also de *ghond-eye- with umlaut. It could
even be connected with Skt. sanóti.
kohë 'time' is certainly from *ke:sa: (or *ke:sk^a:), but did the
root still have a front vowel when palatalizations would have
worked?
To assess this the word zorrë 'intestine' is of relevance. But can
that really be sensibly derived from *gWe:rna: ? What word-formation
from *gWerH3- 'devour, swallow' could mean 'intestine'? What
parallel examples are there?
However, I do think the matter is decided by sorrë 'blackbird' which
must be connected with Skt. kr.s.n.a- 'black', thus reflecting
*kWe:rsna:. The Slavic forms (Russ. soróka, SCr. svraka) must be
loanwords then.
> I am unaware of the survival of three reflexes in Armenian, and
would be
> glad of the evidence.
That is a bit easier:
goc^'em 'cry' < *wokW-eye-; oc^' 'not' = Alb. as = Gk. ouk(i) from
*H2oyu-kWid '(not) even throughout life' (Cowgill, only with *-kWe).
k'erem 'cut' : Gk. keíro: (*ker-)
sermn 'seed' : Lith. s^ermenys 'funeral meal' from *k^er&3-mn
kin 'woman' < *gWen&2
c^mlem 'press' < *gem- (Sl. z^ImoN 'pinch'); koL, instr. c^eLb 'side'
cin 'birth' : Lat. genus < *g^enH1-os
j^erm 'warm' < *gWher-mo-
geLjk' 'gland' : Russ. z^elezá < *ghelg^h-
jer:n 'hand' < *g^hes-r-m.
It is not easy to find additional examples of "plain velars" before
front vowels.
Jens