Re: Renfrew's theory renamed as Vasco-Caucasian

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@...>
wrote:

> I put the following proposal to you. An early form of PIE did have the
> vowels *i and *u. However, when stressed these vowels diphthongized to
> *ei and *eu. Thus the zero grades represent the original forms. In
> this light verbal roots in *u and *i are easy to find since the
> zero-grade represents the actual vocalic structure.
>
>
> ***
>
> In the verbal form of *CVC, *V is a stress-accented *é. *CéC is

the commonest form of verbal root formation in PIE.

Indeed.

> Presumably, then, as a verbal root, *CVC should really be notated

*C'VC.

Yes.

> If we assume that *V = *i as well as *e/*o/*ø, since the commonest

(only) verbal pattern calls for *'V, we should expect **CíC not *CeiC,
which is better explained as *Cey + root extension.

My proposal is **'CiC > *'CeiC.

> Your proposal initially necessitates changing the verbal pattern

of *C'VC to *CVC(') whenever *V is *i or *u then secondarily erasing
all traces of this _verbal_ anomaly by emending *CiC(') and *CuC(') to
*CéiC and *CéuC.

There's no need to reverse stress like this. Stressed **i > *ei, and
stressed **u > *eu (possibly through an intermediate stage, stressed
***i > **ai > *ei, and sim.). This is somewhat like the Great Vowel
Shift in English.