Re: Diphthong Distributions

> Good point. Still, the imperative ends in -du more often than -tu,
> even after -s-, and <tu> is a much more complicated sign than <du>,
> so complexity seems to be a factor.

It's impv 3sg -d/tu(presumably), 3pl -andu. Assuming 3sg -d/tu
varied with the voicedness of the auslaut of the preceding
root, 3pl would be consistently -andu with a /d/. Since DU would
be in majority over a competing TU, it would be chosen to represent
the meaning 'imperative'. Call it an etymological spelling, if you
like. Cf. that ZI occurs in both 3sg and 3pl.


Torsten