On 2006-09-19 17:55, tgpedersen wrote:
> since this might offer an explanation of where the n-infix
> came from. Now, Jens has shown that Winter takes place
> only in syllables immediately preceding the stress. As far
> as I can tell, n-infixes happen only in thematic stems.
> Thematic stem were originally stressed on the thematic vowel.
> Therefore, if Winter-lengthening is caused by voiced
> unaspirated stops being prenasalized, and n-infix is caused
> by prenasalized stops, it is only right that they occur in
> the same environment, namely before the stressed syllable.
The nasal infix, at least in verbs, originally occurred exclusively in
_athematic_ stems, e.g.
*linékW-ti, *linkW-énti (from *leikW- 'abandon')
*str.nóh3-ti, *str.nh3-énti (from *sterh3- 'spread')
*k^lnéu-ti, *k^l.nw-énti (from *k^leu- 'hear')
*kWrináh2-ti, *kWrinh2-énti (from *kWreih2- 'buy')
etc.
It appears before all kinds of final consonants (including glides), not
necessarily stops, aspirated or otherwise.
The infixed presents arose probably as follows: if the root was of the
form CeRC, the athematic stem with a nasal suffix, e.g. *léjkW-n-, was
metathesised to *léjnkW-. As there seems to have been a tendency in
pre-PIE to avoid stem-forms ending in more than two consonants, an
anaptyctic vowel was inserted between the nasal and the root-final
consonant, yielding *léjnekW-. The new vowel stole the accent from the
old one, and the accented form of the stem became *leinékW- > PIE
*linékW-. The addition of a personal ending with a full vowel produced
the weak form, PIE *linkW-'. The pattern was then generalised, so that
we find in in a number of *CReC roots as well (*pleh1-, *k^leu-, etc.).
Piotr