Re: [tied] Re: root *pVs- for cat

At 7:13:42 PM on Monday, July 2, 2007, tgpedersen wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...> wrote:

>> At 6:11:09 AM on Monday, July 2, 2007, tgpedersen wrote:

[...]

>>> How common is this b-/p- alternation?

>> It seems to be quite rare. It also seems (on very cursory
>> search) to be mostly Sc.Gael. In addition to derivatives
>> of the 'lip' word I noticed <bùlas> ~ <pùlas> 'pothook',
>> which MacBain derives from Scots <bools> 'a pothook in
>> two parts or bools', from northern ME <bool> 'a curved or
>> semicircular band forming the handle of a put, bucket,
>> etc., or the bow of a key'; the Concise Scots Dict. notes
>> MDu <boghel>. Also <Bìoball> ~ <Pìoball> 'Bible';
>> <bannal> ~ <pannal> 'a troop, a gang, an assemblage',
>> which MacBain derives from EIr <banna> 'a band or company
>> of soldiers', a loanword from OFr -- presumably OFr <ban>
>> 'levée des troupes' -- according to the DIL; and
>> <bòilich> ~ <pòloich> 'idle talk, vain boasting,
>> bombast'.

> In other words, words with no certain PIE > Celtic
> pedigree. The reason I ask is that alternation p-/b- is
> one of the criteria Kuhn uses to identify NWBlock words,

The borrowings are obviously irrelevant to the NWB issue.
If I'm reading him right, MacBain suggests that <bòilich> is
a derivative of <bó> 'cow'; if this is true, <bòilich> is
also irrelevant.

In any case, to the extent that it's a Sc.Gael. phenomenon,
I think that Rick is probably right about the cause: SG /b d
g/ are realized as unaspirated [p t k], and SG /p t k/ are
realized as aspirated voiceless stops initially and as
pre-aspirated voiceless stops medially and finally.

Brian