From: Miguel Carrasquer
Message: 42140
Date: 2005-11-17
>--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Jens Elmegård Rasmussen <elme@...>Well, sure: the low frequency of /a/, only marginally
>wrote:
>
>> For
>> Hittite, Melchert has made a strong case for the separation of /a/
>> and /o/ by their different ability to undergo lengthening: /a/ is
>> lengthened under the accent, but only in an open syllable, while
>> accented /o/ is lengthened in both open and closed syllables. And
>> Brugmann's Law does not apply to the reflex of *a in Indo-Iranian.
>
>My feeling is that there was something about PIE that made the merger
>of /a/ and /o/ highly likely, but not certain.