Jens to Rob:
> So, e.g. *we:kWs must have developed something like this: wekW-z >
> wegWz > we:gWz > we:gWs > we:kWs? Just for curiosity's sake, are
> there any other possible explanations for the lengthened-grade
> nominative forms?
Of course, we have a simpler solution. The lengthening has nothing
to do with the "z". Rather the lengthening was caused by the clipping
of the *-a in nominative *-sa by Syncope in early Late IE. Clipping
is kind of like an exception to an exception (Suffix Resistance of
Syncope) of a very general rule (Syncope). Normally, we should see
suffixes _resist_ Syncope if they are at risk of losing their syllable
to Syncope. So the sorta-unexpected, sorta-expected but always
predictable loss of *-a here and in all other demonstrative clitics-
turned-suffixes caused _compensatory lengthening_ otherwise known as
Szemerenyi Lengthening.
Some blame it on the "z" but I blame it on the Syncope. Only later did
the _allophone_ of *s, the infamous [z], end up being dropped after
resonants while remaining elsewhere as *-s. The latter being "Nominative
Loss" in my theory. It's important to keep these two events seperate
or madness ensues.
> 1. The Eskimo-Aleut plural marker *-d is not related to IE *-es, or
> 2. The final **-t of the IE plural marker and that of the 2sg marker
> were once different (perhaps one was aspirated and the other plain,
> etc).
Or #3, the EA reconstruction is flawed (most likely since there is
still lots of work to be done in that field) and the plural marker
is in fact *-t in EA as it should be while the 2ps in EA is *-n
(from the _intransitive_ 2ps *-un, not the transitive 2ps *-it), just
as all supposedly "voiced" suffixes that Miguel and Jens quote are
_voiceless_. In that way, the plurals _are_ related while the 2ps
transitive and the plural both end in *-t. Even if we want to hold on
to this EA *-d myth, there is still a succinct pattern whereby IE's
nasal suffixes link up with supposedly "voiceless stops" in EA while
IE voiceless stops connect to EA "voiced stops". Very fishy if you ask
me.
> The form *(x)ákmons seems to be possible only after the earlier
> penultimate stress rule (as Glen and I hypothesize) disappeared.
We agree! Omg, this excites me. The heavens have opened and shine forth
their brilliant light.
= gLeN