The palatal sham :) (Re: [tied] Re: Albanian (1))

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, enlil@... wrote:

> Another really snazzy case is *oxwiom "egg" which
> must surely come from *xawi- "bird" somehow but... how?? It
> sure looks similar. Well it IS derived from "bird" thanks to
> a-prothesis. We start with another genitival construct,
> *xawai-ana, this time with *-ana (> *-om gen.pl.) to convey
> collectivity. It is reduced by syncope to *xwian (blech!) and
> is given prothesis to become *axwian > *oxwiom (traditionally
> *o:wiom).
>
> Jens consonant idea makes no sense to me so I hope everybody
> loves my idea which only depends on automatic sound changes.
> :)

That's quite a challenge. Within my understanding of IE phonology,
Lat. avis seems to represent IE *H3áw-i-s with basic /a/
and "laryngeal three". However, for the following argument, the /a/
and the index on the laryngeal do not matter. A derivative from that
source with the "funny o" should have this element prefixed, thus
forming *o-H3w-i-ó-m 'something from a bird'.

Jens