Re: *a/*a: ablaut

----- Original Message -----
From: Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 9:22 PM
Subject: [Courrier indésirable] Re: [tied] Re: *a/*a: ablaut


On Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:01:46 +0100, "fournet.arnaud"
<fournet.arnaud@...> wrote:

>Does this mean any post-tonic /e/ is impossible ?

Any post-tonic */e/ (and pre-tonic */e/ for that matter)
were reduced to zero, except for the thematic vowel, which
is zero-grade resistant.

I believe that in the posttonic position, short vowels were
regularly lengthened after a light syllable (and if followed
by a consonant). So:

*xák-ma:n-z > *h2ák^mons [> *h2ák^mo:n]
*xák-ma:n-m > *h2ák^monm.
*xak-mán-a:s > *h2(a)k^ménos
*xak-mán-a > *h2(a)k^mén(-i)

but:

*ú:d-an > *wódr.
*u:d-án-a:s > *udnós
*u:d-án-a > *udén(-i)

and:

*pú:nt-ax-z > *pónt&xs > *pónto:h2s
*pú:nt-ax-m > *pónth2m.
*pu:nt-áx-a:s > *pn.th2ós
*pu:nt-áx-a > *pn.táh2(-i)

=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
miguelc@...

================

The examples you gave
are all tainted by the fact
a schwa in unstressed positions
could be coloured into o by a
neighbouring w m or p.

And this is something that
makes me suspicious about
we => root + o-me < *e-me ??
you => root + e-te

Arnaud
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