[tied] Re: Etymology of PIE *ph2ter

Ever heard of Dadaism and Tristan Tzara?
In Zurich during WWI this movement was born and claimed
having its name from the most basic human elocution: dada.

Which is wrong. To form a /d/ you must use the tongue.
/m/ and /b/ are the most basic with both lips closed.
/a/ is the most basic vowel letting the soundflow stream
out unhindered.

"mama" or "baba" is the first sound a soothed baby produces
when seeing food approaching.

The practical, unromantic Romans interpreted this utterance
as "now "it" is hungry, now "it" wants food".

Then of course, this might be applied to the person providing
this breast. And this person is not necessarily the birthgiving
mother, especially not in higher social layers.
"Amma" is the term for wetnurse in many languages.

"Dada" comes a bit later, when the baby is learning to master
its tongue and can then be interpreted as an identification of
the bearded member of the household, traditionally not taking part
in the feeding process, but merely being a fun(ny) person appearing
now and then when the baby itself is happy and funny.

Lars