--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...>
wrote:
>
> sum
> es
> est
>
> sumus
> estis
> sunt
>
> Jens mentioned a rule for the thematic vowel: -o- before voiced
> sound, nothing before unvoiced. This verb follows the rule: -o-
> before voiced sound, -e- before unvoiced.
> But remember the rules of sandhi in Latin:
> 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori'
> is pronounced
> 'Dulce-t decoru~-st pro patria mori'
>
> which changes the paradigm into
>
> sum
> 's
> 'st
>
> sumus
> 'stis
> sunt
I am not sure what you are trying to say here. My rule applying to
the thematic vowel in PIE says "o before voiced, e before voiceless".
The present of the verb "to be" is not thematic in PIE. The Latin
paradigm is not very easily explained, but the mould into which it
was pressed is plainly the socalled "semi-thematic" paradigm seen in
fero fers fert ferimus fertis ferunt which is an old thematic
present (thus also volo from a root-aorist subjunctive). In this
variant the thematic vowel is only retained where it was *-o-, but
lost where it was *-e-. Since [o] is a sound of greater amplitude
that [e] this is in fact a natural place to draw the line if allegro
phonology reduces the form of a verb. Szemerényi insisted on this
explanation in his 1964 book on Syncope in Greek and Indo-European,
in my opinion rightly. For Latin the reduction had the effect of
creating a bridge to some athematic presents which were retained "as
is" in the 2/3sg and 2pl, but given thematic form in the 1sg and
1/3pl (edo e:s e:st edimus e:stis edunt; eo i:s i:t [i:mus
analogical] i:tis eunt). For "be", this apparently had the effect
that *H1smós *H1sénti were changed to *somos *sonti > sumus, sunt.
On the pattern of edo edunt, *h1ésmi 'I am' was then adjusted to
sunt. A full and uninhibited adjustment would have produced *so:,
but the tenacity of the verb "to be" saved the ending *-mi > -m, and
the resulting form was *so(:)m > sum (Oscan súm). I do not think one
can know whether the full-grade root vocalism of Umbr. esu and South
Picene esum is an archaism or due to later levelling.
Jens