On 2006-03-01 00:19, whitedawn wrote:
> Could you give us a more precise explanation, please...
The root *prek^- 'to ask' has a large number of reflexes in Germanic
vocabulary. Already in PIE, it formed characteristic derivatives with
the full range of apophonic variation, such as the *-sk^- present with
the nil grade of the root *pr.k^-sk^é/o- (> Skt. pr.ccHáti, Av.
p&r&saiti, OIrish arcu, Lat. posco: < *por(k)sko:, etc.), the o-grade
iterative *prok^-éje/o- (> OCS prositi, Lith. pras^y'ti) and the
thematic agent noun *prok^-o-s (> Lat. procus 'suitor'), the root noun
*pre:k^-s 'request, prayer' (> Lat. prex, Skt. pra:s'-), and others.
In Germanic, the initial consonant is always reflected as *f- (Grimm's
Law) and the final as *-x- (Grimm's Law) or *-g- (if additionally
preceded by an unaccented syllable and therefore affected by Verner's
Law). The nil-grade is visible in Gmc. fursko: 'question' <
*pr.k^-sk^-ah2 (with the secondary denominative verb *fursko:-je/a-,
hence German forschen 'search, investigate'), although the original
present stem on which it is based was replaced by the Germanic
innovation *freg-ne/a- (> OIcel. fregna, OE frignan, Goth. fraíhnan with
restored /x/). We also have the feminine noun *fre:go: 'question,
asking' (OHG fra:ga, Mod.Ger. Frage, OFris. fre:ge) < *pre:k^-áh2, which
looks like a modified collective of the old root noun *pre:k^-s. From
this noun, another denominative verb was formed: PGmc. *fre:go:-je/a-
'ask questions' (OFris. fre:gia, OSax. fra:go:n), which, probably
influenced by the stative verb type in *-eh1-je/o-, is the source of OHG
fra:ge:n (and Mod.Ger. fragen). Finally, we have miscellaneous other
forms such as the Gmc. deverbative noun *frexti- (ON frétt 'news,
enquiry about the future', OE freht 'augury') < *prek^-ti- (cognate to
Av. f&ras^ti- 'question').
Gk. pHrazomai, pHrazo: cannot be related to the Germanic set (or to
their cognates outside Germanic) because, in the first place, Gk.
initial pH- cannot reflect PIE *p-, and Gk. -z- cannot reflect PIE
*-k^-. Secondly, the Greek verb means 'tell, declare', not 'question,
enquire, search' etc., so there is neither a formal match nor a semantic
one. Actually, as the reduplicated aorist <pepHradon> shows, the <z> of
the present stem goes back to *-dj- and there is a connection between
<pHrazo:> and <pHrade:> 'knowledge' and <pHrastikos> 'expressive,
indicative', so the Greek root is in fact <pHrad->. Its hypothetical
external relationships are all uncertain.
Piotr