Re: The Hoffmann suffix

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@...>
wrote:

> Torsten,
>
> Here's an example to illustrate various aspects of the behaviour

of the

> Hoffmann "suffix" (HS).
>
> Since words involving the HS were compound-like, the thematic

vowel

> became *i at least in some cases (presumably representing an

archaic

> type of Hoffmann compounds). This produced derivatives in *-i-h3on-

,

> often with a collective meaning:
>
> (a) *bHérHg^-o- 'birch'
> (b) *bHerHg^i-h3ón- 'place overgrown with birches'
>
> A term for 'birch wood' can easily come to mean 'birch'

(collective -->

> individual), as was the case with PGmc. *birk-jo:n- (> OE birce

[pl.

> bircean] > birch), which reflects (b). In Balto-Slavic, the

Hoffmann

> compound developed thematic derivatives in *-o-/*-ah2, still with

the

> same collective/place-name meaning:
>
> Slavic *berza 'birch' : *berzina 'birch wood' < *bHerHg^i-h3n-

ah2

> Lith. berz^as 'birch' : berz^ynas 'birch wood' < *bHerHg^i-h3n-

o-s

>
> The lengthening effect of the laryngeal is visible here, as Slavic

*i

> and Lith. y both reflect *i:.
>
> If we wanted to form an "individualising" derivative of

the 'birch' word

> (for example, in order to use it as somebody's nickname), the

result

> would be a different nasal stem, namely *bHérHg^on- (nom.sg.

bérHg^o:n),

> cf. Lat. na:sus --> Na:so: 'Mr. Big Nose'.
>

I have some half-baked observations on that which I don't know where
to put:

ON weak inflection nom -i, obl -a
WestGermnc weak -o: -in

as if they were switched.

Osc (or Umbrian) 'natine', some oblique form of "nation"

so perhaps Latin -io:, -ion- is a compromise?


Kuhn found many matches (identical roots) between place names
(strong) and personal names in the Nordwestblock. So part of the
weak inflection is taken from a substrate?


Torsten