From: tgpedersen
Message: 49325
Date: 2007-07-05
>I'm not impressed with the semantics.
> 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,If you want to ignore the NWBlock 'issue' (other people call it a
> 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.