Re: [tied] Re: Dissimilation of gW/kWVw to gVw/kVw

From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 37418
Date: 2005-04-27

see below for interlinear comments
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2005 7:04 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: Dissimilation of gW/kWVw to gVw/kVw


On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 10:07:59 +0000, pielewe
<wrvermeer@...> wrote:

 
<snip>

Japanese -ko, formative of female names [Japanese also has a
word ko 'child', prefixed ko-jima 'small island', which I,
unlike Greenberg, think should be kept apart].
<PCR>
My own work suggests to me that the primary meaning derives from *kho is 'child', leading to diminutives (male and female); and finally, to 'small'.

<snip>

In IE, the feminine suffix *-ih2 is obviously the
unthematized counterpart of diminutive *-ik-o-.
PCR:
Not so obvious to me, I am afraid.
 
I believe feminine is derived from *ha.
 
 

For the relation between diminutive and feminine, cf. Dutch
mens "person", mensje "(old) woman" etc.; Afro-Asiatic *-at-
feminine, diminutive and singulative suffix.
 
PCR:
Here, I believe, the point of departure is *tho, the primary meaning of which is 'join(er)'.