Re: [tied] Re: Various loose thoughts

----- Original Message -----
From: "Miguel Carrasquer" <mcv@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2005 6:11 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Various loose thoughts

>Mate wrote:
>He [Thomas] posites *-mus < (reduction) *-mas < dial. PIE *-mos.

>I don't understand what (reduction) means exactly. Maybe it
>would help if there were other examples in Lithuanian of
>such a reduction of /a/ to /u/ (near /m/?).

Reduction of anaccented *a > *u in *-mas (*u because of the labial). I think
Stang (1966) already explained it that way. That it was *-mas < *-mos
originally is proven by Old Latvian dat. pl. which has -ms which can come
from older *-mVs with the *V being anything *but* -u-! And of course, *-mos
corresponds to PIE *-bhos very well.

Mate