[tied] Re: PIE genitive plural *-o:m, a possible analysis

This analysis or words structure in its earliest stages are more or
less the same as mine.

After the quantitative ablaut period, a form with a consonantal
suffix would develop as such : cv`cv-C > CVC-C, a form with a -CV-
suffix would take this development
CVCV`-CV > CVCV`-C > CVC-V`C with the last vowel of the stem being
reinterpreted as belonging to the suffix.

However, I think there may have been more wovels than the ablaut
wovel, at the earliest stages, and that there probably also were
only consonental suffixes.

>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Patrick Ryan<mailto:proto-language@...>
> To: Cybalist<mailto:cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 3:54 PM
> Subject: Re: [tied] Re: PIE genitive plural *-o:m, a possible

analysis

>
>
>
> Since Piotr has been kind enough to outline his assumptions in

his postings on PIE word-formation, I feel that I should also
outline mine for possible criticism and correction.

>
> The simplest permissible word-form in PIE was *CA, where *A

represents the Ablaut-vowel that, at the next earliest stage,
manifested itself as *é when stress-accented, or *Ø when not stress-
accented.

>
> This word-form is restricted to a very few common words such as

*né, 'not'; and *té, 'you (singular)'.

>
> The commonest word-form was *CACA, which, in accordance with the

rule that the penultimate syllable was stress-accented, appears in
the next earliest stage as *CéCØ (from *CÁCA).

>
> The PAA language from which PIE derived had not yet developed

predominantly tri-consonantal roots so a basic vocabulary in the
form of *CACA roots was available for adoption.

>
> This PAA language had three nominal inflections in the

singular: -*wV, 'topical'; -*yV, 'relational'; and -
*Ø, 'absolutive'; this can be seen in the conservative pronomnal
forms: *téw-, *téy-, and *té.

>
> Nominally, -*yV was retained, and appears as a

locative/genitive; -*Ø as a vocative.

>
> All suffixes originally had the minimal form -*CA (from *CÁ)

since they were not "invented" but represent independent words
applied to indicate inflections: *sA was added to animate nouns to
indicate ergativity (borrowed from the grammar of the original
Caucasian language of the new PIE speakers; meaning simply: 'this
one alone'), and in athematic nouns appears as -*s due to the root
stress-accent (CéC-sØ). Another *sA, from a different source,
denoted 'state' or 'quality' for inanimate nouns from athematic
verbal roots (-*s roots).

>
> A PAA device for indicating plurality in its widest sense,

shared by this PAA language and adopted by PIE, was ultimata stress-
accent, which indicated plurality in nouns and durativity in verbs:
*CACÁ, leading to PIE *CØCé-s in the ergative plural.

>
> If follows from these assumptions that no very early PIE root

can have the form **CóC- or **CóC-s.

>
> There are a number of factors that complicate this fairly

straight forward development (originally long vowels, roots
with 'laryngeals', epenthetic vowels, eventual preference for root-
vowel stress-accent, etc.) but this will suffice for discussion
purposes.

>
> ***
>