Re: Path [was: Re: Gypsies again]

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Miguel Carrasquer <mcv@...> wrote:

> On Mon, 03 Oct 2005 09:23:20 +0200, Piotr Gasiorowski
> <gpiotr@...> wrote:
>
> >Miguel Carrasquer wrote:
> >
> >> 4) "lengthened schwa", in the nom.sg., with
> >> "Szemerényi-lengthening" of reduced grade **-&C-s > -o:Cs,
> >> after a heavy stressed syllable (e.g. *pónt-o:h2-s, acc.
> >> *pónt-h2-m < **pónt-&h2-s, **pónt-&h2-m).
> >
> >Excuse my change of the topic, but why *pónto:h2s rather than
> >*pénto:h2s? Just because of Slavic *poNtI, Greek pontos etc.?
>
> Yes: Armenian hun, Latin pons.

What caused the Greek word to be shortened in the final syllable of
the nominative? It seems that the Greek word could be derived from
*póntxos.

There is also a related Greek word _patos_ which
means "trodden/beaten way, path". This could come from IE *pntxós.

> > They may be (I'd say they most likely are) independently derived
> > from the same _verb_ root, so their vocalism doesn't have to be
> > derived from that of the noun in question.
>
> Funny, I've always thought the _verb_ looked secondary in
> this word-group. It is restricted to Germanic, where it has
> a meaning ("find") which is a long way off the path followed
> by the noun.

A root form *pentx- seems typologically odd for IE. I wonder if
the /x/ here is the old collective suffix.

- Rob