[tied] Re: IE thematic presents and the origin of their thematic vo

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Rob" <magwich78@...> wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "elmeras2000" <jer@...> wrote:
>
> > > I see. What caused the /e:/ to be lowered and

centralized

> > > to /a:/ ~ /&:/ (where '&' = OE <ae>)?
> >
> > A change in people's speech fashions.
>
> Obviously. Can you try to explain it in phonological terms?

In phonological terms nothing happened: [a:] was just the new
realization of the phoneme earlier realized as [e:]. Only if a
new /e:/ emerges does this have phonological consequences.

> > > That could very well be the case, and the phonological

development

> > > looks regular there. However, if that happened to *bhérx,

then

> > > why did *mégx not become *me:g?
> >
> > Because it was **még^-eH2 that became *még^H2.
>
> How was that necessarily the case?

Because the output forms would otherwise have ben different, as you
said yourself.

Jens