--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "elmeras2000" <jer@...> wrote:
> Yes, the Greek developments demand survival of the laryngeals into
> the separate prehistory of Greek. But "metathesis" proves a rather
> pitiful solution if one really tries to work with it rather than
> immediately look the other way. Where did the middle vowel in
> thugáte:r come from? From the root vowel of a one-time **dhawgH2- ??
> How can there be roots of the shape *H2leH1-, *H2meH1-, *H2weH1-,
> *H3elH1-, *H2enH1-, *H2werH1-, *H1elH2-, *H1eysH2-, *H1ewH2-,
> *H2neH3-, *H2emH3-, *H2erH3-? How could the same root vowel trigger
> different shwa colorations adjacent to already-neutralized
> laryngeals? The matter has simply not been allotted the necessary
> amount of reflection.
I couldn't confidently identify 4 of these roots: *h2leh1, *h1eysh2,
*h2neh3 (but *h3neh2 will do in its stead) and
*h2emh3. For the others, I list possible pre-ablaut forms and the
e-, o- and zero grades in order as I believe they
would be under Patrick's theory. Capitalised vowels represent
extra-short vowels. For clarity, these forms do not
distinguish the laryngeals, though Patrick does believe there were two
distinct laryngeals (not particularly if at all
correlated with vowel colour).
Group A (stress if any on final syllable of root):
1) *h2meh1: Pokorny #1231 'reap' **hamih; *hAmeh, *hAmoh, *hAmEh
2) *h2weh1: Pokorny #137 'blow' **hawih; *hAweh, *hAwoh, *hAwEh
3) *h3neh2: Pokorny #1343 'help, be of use' **honih; *hOnah, *hOnoh,
*hOnAh
Group B (stress if any on final syllable of root)
1) *h3elh1: Pokorny #1413 'destroy' **hulih; *holEh, *holEh, *hOlEh
2) *h1elh2: Pokorny #467 'drive' **hilah; *helAh, *holAh, *hElAh
3) *h2enh1: Pokorny #78 'breathe' **hanih; *hanEh, *honEh, *hnh (I
base the zero grade on Greek _asthma_.)
4) *h1ewh2: Pokorny #528 'lack' **hiwah; *hewAh, *howAh, *huh (?) or
*hEwAh. I think there are issues about the vocalisation of the zero
grade anyway - Sanskrit _u:na_ 'wanting, deficient' versus the forms
in *wa or *wa: such as English _want_ and Latin _va:nus_ 'empty'.
5) *h2erh3: Pokorny #109 'plough' **haroh; *harOh, *horOh, *hArOh
Group C (stress if any on middle syllable of root)
6) *h2werh1: Pokorny #2148 'attach' **hawarih, **hawirih, or
**hawurih; *hAwerEh, *hAworEh, *hAwrEh
I can see only two objections:
a) Polysyllabic stems
b) Unpredictability of stress.
There are many roots currently reconstructed as ending in *-h2g^ which
may actually be compounds of *h2eg^ (make that **hag^) 'lead', so it
is not obvious that these are insuperable objections.
So what is the problem with these roots?
Richard.