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

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

>
> That is a good question, Ron:

Actually the name is Ray.

> I think we can identify all (or at least the great overwhelming

majority of)

> *CV roots in PIE: *me, *no, *g(^)he, etc.

Let's not forget the interrogative root *kWi.

> If we see -*i/*u or -*y/*w appended to one of these, then it is sure to
> be -*y/-*w because PIE has no derivative suffixes in *V;

What about the i-, u-, and o-stem suffixes of nouns? The are also
numerous suffixes in *Ci and *Cu which make more sense as CV suffixes
than CC suffixes. Also reduplicated forms having a *i vowel make more
sense than reduplicated forms with a *y consonant.

> though, of course,
> there are some *CV's like -*Ha(:).

And even some in VC like the feminine *eH2 and *iH2.

> Thus *méi-, 'my', is properly *mey-.

Or better yet *mi > *mai > *mei under stress. Also *mi > *me before
resonants.

> If the bare root consists with *CV: (either 'underlying' or caused by
> laryngal), *CV:(H), in the case of *CV:i/y-, -*y should be

reconstructed

> because PIE has no derivative suffixes in *V;

Except *i, *u, and *e/o.

> the same is true of *CV(:)H-
> except that when the consonantal nature of *H was still present, the
> formative -yV was probably vocalized as -*i.

Or rather the formative *-i > *-yV when another vowel was suffixed.

> Any root that has the form *Céi/uC- must first be analyzed as having

the

> root *Cey-/*Cew- to which the root extension -*C has been added.

Or first analyzed as *Ci or *Cu which became diphthongized under
stress. Some roots of this form may go back to *Ceu or *Cei as well.

> The short answer: *i and *u are never anything but avocalic reflexes

of *y

> and *w.

I'd say it's actually the reverse of that.