Re: [tied] IE *de:(y)- 'bind'.

From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 38171
Date: 2005-05-30

THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP ON THE PREVIOUS POSTING.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 12:51 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] IE *de:(y)- 'bind'.

 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2005
Subject: Re: CVC Punctual Roots.

Recently, the question of whether PIE *CVC roots are inherently punctual was raised on a discussion list.

I proposed that any PIE *CVC-root that did not terminate in *-H, *-y, or *-w was inherently punctual; this idea was ridiculed by one of the list participants, who made counts to test this proposition, and announced that the proposition could not be substantiated.

I have now obtained the same reference work from which he was working (Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, Helmut Rix, Wiesbaden 2001, Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag: ISBN 3-89500219-4).

I have randomly selected an initial consonant, *d, in the entries under which to make a count to test the results that my critic reported.

To begin with, there are _3_ *CVC verbal roots that do not terminate in *-H, *-y, or *-w, listed under *d in Rix 2001 out of a total of _46_ roots.

This suggests that the statistics compiled by my critic were inaccurate as to the number of *CVC roots counted by him.

Of these three, the first, *dek^-, ‘become aware of’, forms a root aorist: *dék-, but a present in *dé:k^-, with unetymological lengthening of the root vowel.

The second, *der-, ‘tear apart’, forms a root aorist: *dér-, but a present by thematicization: *dér-e-.

The third, *des-, ‘find’, has no aorist listed but the present is formed by a suffix: *d^s-sk^é-.

Thus, in all three examples, the aorist, when attested, is formed from the root, indicating a punctual meaning for the bare *CVC root.

In all three examples, the present is formed by additions to the root, indicating that, in order to obtain a durative meaning, lengthened grade, thematicization, or a suffix (*-sk^e-) is necessary.

On the basis of the roots listed under *d in Rix, the proposition that any PIE *CVC-root that did not terminate in *-H, *-y, or *-w was _inherently punctual_, is supported.

 
***
Patrick writes:
 
I have now completed a survey of Rix through *gh-.
 
Out of 26 qualifying roots, of those which formed aorists, all but one formed root aorists.
 
 
 
Patrick
***