Re: The meaning of life: PIE. *gWiH3w-

----- Original Message -----
From: "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2008 2:44 AM
Subject: [tied] Re: The meaning of life: PIE. *gWiH3w-



> > The word started out as *gWa-. When a glottal stop was added, it
> > lengthened and preserved the earliest vowel quality -> *gWa:-
> > (*gWaH{2}-). Without lengthening, the vowel reverted to the vowel
> > of an stress-accented root syllable -> *gWé- to which -*y could be
> > added, producing *gWéy-, 'live'; rather than your decomposed
> > answer, just add -*m to it and -> *gWem-.
> >
> Nope. AFAIK the ablaut vowel was PPIE (= proto-proto-IE) /a/. it
> became /e/, /o/ or zero, but stayed /a/ before /x/.
>
>
> What do you mean by Ablaut vowel in PPIE?

*The* ablaut vowel in PPIE.

***

Cryptic answers may satisfy your sense of humor but they hardly advance the
discussion.

Now let us review what you are saying:

1) let us use *A for the Ablautvokal

2) in PPIE, A* was /a/

3) in PIE, A* was /e/, /o/, /Ø/

a) except when A* was /a/


It is proper to call *A in PIE the Ablautvokal _because_ it undergoes vowel
gradation: Ablaut.

The *A in PPIE does _not_ undergo vowel gradation (Ablaut) but we still call
it the Ablautvokal.

For what earthly reason? since it does not undergo Ablaut.

See my little problem?


***


> What distinguishes PPIE from PIE is the introduction of the
> Ablautvokal.
>
> PPIE had /a/, /e/, and /o/.

I think you might be confusing my PPIE with your PPIE.


***

Frankly, I think you are the one with confusion.

Earlier in _this_ posting, you informed us, in PPIE, the "Ablaut" vowel wss
/a/

although it does not undergo Ablaut.

Come one, Torsten, if you cannot see the inconsistency here then you are
blind to your own honeyed words.

***


> > Piotr wants to assume a third variant in -*w -? *gWew-; from my
> > perspective, the existence of this variant in Proto-Afrasian leads
> > to a probability that it existed in PIE, and so his case is
> > strengthened.

From my perspective the variation of the last consonant in both the
Semitic and the IE root tells me they're somehow related. Thus they
are probably loans.

***

More oracular contradictions?

Are the PIE and PA forms "related"?

Or are they the result of loan?

"OR" normally is exclsionary, is it not?

***

> I strongly suspect my old friend /n,gW/ (traditionally *gW) is afoot
>
> Yes, I do not want to offend our friends in le bel pays by being
> more specific.

If that was another pun I didn't get that one either.

***

No pun. *gWou- means 'pair of balls'.


Patrick

***