> >
> >You're taking for granted that Aquitanian had /c/ here, based on
> >Basque, presumably. How do you know it for sure it wasn't <-ks-> ?
>
> Because there's a thing like a phonological system. As Mitxelena
has
> shown, the Pre-Basque consonantal system consisted of pairs of
lenis ~
> fortis sounds, like thus:
>
> (p) t k tz ts N L R
> b d g z s n l r
>
> In final position, only the fortis consonant can occur (in
practice, only
> -tz, -ts, -nn, -ll and -rr), in initial position only the lenis (in
> practice, only b-, g-, z-, s-, n-, l-), while in medial position
both are
> allowed (but -p- is very rare).
>
> As it happens, this Pre-Basque system (reconstructed independently,
without
> considering the Aquitanian material, on the basis of the Basque
dialects
> alone and the evidence of Latin loanwords) is in perfect agreement
with the
> Aquitanian system. Provided, of course, that <x> and <xs> are in
fact
> spellings for /tz/ and /ts/, which they undoubtedly are.
>
Vennemann: Etymology and Phonotactics: Latin <grandis> vs. Basque
<handi> 'big' and similar Problems attempts among other things to
derive French <chamois>, German <Gemse>, Late Latin <camox>, Basque
<ahuntz> 'goat, chamois' from a reconstructed proto-Vasconic (*kab-
untz >)*kamuntz (*kanuntz > *anu(n)tz (Michelena) > ahuntz). The *kab-
untz root would further explain the various problematical 'goat'
words: Latin <cap-er>, ON <haf-r>, Greek <kápros> 'boar', O.Ir.
gabor 'he-goat' and even West Germanic
*s-ka:p-a "sheep".
The only problem here is with Latin <-x>, presumably /-ks/. He cites
the Aquitanian words with /x/ for Basque /tz/ as support
that "Vasconic *-ts (Basque -tz) could be borrowed into Latin as -x".
He adds further with the same ending reconstructed Vasconic *izu(n)ts
as the source of Latin <isox>/<esox> "a Rhine fish, prob. salmon".
He comments on the Aquitanian names: "Whether this only represents
graphic attempts at rendering Aquitanian pronunciations adequately or
whether occasional sound substitutions, namely of [ks] for [ts] are
involved, seems hard to decide."
One might even imagine Low Latin acc. <kamotse>, nom. <kamots>. But I
think life would be easier for Vennemann's reconstruction *kamuntz if
it were *kamunks.
Torsten