From: tgpedersen
Message: 46347
Date: 2006-10-11
>There are two theories to account for the origin of the Germanic
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@> wrote:
> >
> > Gothic
> > preterito-presentic
> > wáit
> > wáist
> > wáit
> > witum
> > wituT
> > witun
> >
> > pt. weak
> > wissa- (from *wit-t-)
> OHG pret. wissa/wëssa/wësta
> OHG kan; konda/konsta
> ON veit; vissa
> Da ved, vi[d]ste
> Sw vet; visste
> OE wât; wisse/wiste
>
>
> Hittite
> pais^ OH, pais^ta, pes^-ta NH pret. 3sg "he gave"
> similarly pret. (Burrows)
> na-is^, na-is^-ta 2g. "you placed"
> pa-is^, pa-is^-ta 3sg. "he lead"
> Oettinger: hi- group I pret. 3sg -s; stems on -s: -sta
>
> > Hittite
> > hi-conjugation
> > u:hi (< *u:- + *-h2 + *-i)
> > auti (< *au- + *-th2 + *-i)
> > auszi (replaces *aui < *au- + i)
> > umeni (< *u- + *-men + *-i)
> > auteni (< *au- + *-ten + *-i)
> > uánzi (< *u- + *anzi)
> >
> > pt.
> > u:hun
> > austa
> > austa (in other verbs -s, later -ta)
> > aumen
> > austen
> > auer
> >
> >
> > It seems like Hittite /au/ must be o-grade of /u/. The -s-
> > of 3sg pres and 2,3sg, 2pl pret is not found in other words
> > of this conjugation.
> >
> >
> > Unfortunately, the Hittite hi-preterite seems to have mainly
> > o-grade, while the Gemanic preterito-presentic preterite has
> > zero-grade. If some way could be found around that, then the
> > Germanic preterito-presentic conjugation would be the true
> > heir of the Hittite hi-conjugation.
>
> Which would mean that the hi-conjugation had both a present
> and a preterite in an ancestor to Hittite and Germanic (and
> that can't be other than PIE).
>