[tied] Re: Short and long vowels

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@...>
wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...>

> > Then there's this, from
> > <http://geocities.com/Proto-language/ProtoLanguage-5.htm>.
> >
> > A strong confirmation of the original three-vowel contrast
> > (really glide contrast) of the Proto-Language is found in
> > the facts of Old Irish. ... When we see this pervasive
> > system in an IE language that has perpetuated an ancient
> > situation, it is difficult to believe that it was not a
> > feature of, at least, earliest IE, and, most probably
> > Nostratic, from which IE and Afrasian among others are
> > descended.

> You rather conveniently neglected to mention the quote from

Thurneysen, a

> recognized expert on these matters. Since you did not see fit to

mention it,

> and seem to be attempting to deny it, I will quote it in full:
>
> "In Old Irish every consonant may have three separate qualities:
>
> 1. palatal or i-quality,
>
> 2. neutral or a-quality,
>
> 3. u-quality.

<Snip>

> Now perhaps you are more knowledgeable than Thurneysen; is that what

you are

> claiming?

I am very sure that Brian is objecting to the word 'perpetuate', which
implies that Old Irish has *retained* an ancient system, whereas it is
far more plausible that it has *returned to* an ancient system, much
as Jens makes the point that Sanskrit has returned to the one-vowel
system of pre-ablaut PIE.

Richard.