Re: Fun with prenasalized stops.txt

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...> wrote:

>
>
> > This Old Irish nasalization takes place after former previous nasal,
> > and its surprising it should happen here. The only ending that looks
> > promising for postulating an ending in a nasal is *-au/*-a:, which
> > would then be *-onW/-o:, and perhaps *-inW/*-unW for the -i and
> > -u-stem's *-i: and *-u:. Why it is limited to the neuter in Old Irish,
> > I don't know. The Dsg of "two" is Skt. dvabhyam.
> >
>
> I forgot: In Old Irish the numerals 7, 8, 9 and 10 all nasalize the
> following initial. PIE 7, 9 and 10 end in nasal, but 8 is a dual.

Shibboleth? :)

Is it conceivable that there was a rule that said neuter duals and 8
had the same effect, so that when 8 started to behave like 7, 9 and
10, so did the neuter dual? It seems far fetched to me, but I'm not
sure it's impossible.

Richard.