Re: *a/*a: ablaut

On Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:33:04 +0100, "fournet.arnaud"
<fournet.arnaud@...> wrote:

>
>----- 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.

The rules work the same in cases without labials. For
example, the suffix *-tér- ~ '*-tor-, or the "month/moon"
word:

**mát-nu:t-z > *méh1no:ts
**mát-nu:t-m > *méh1notm.
**mat-nút-a:s > *m(e)h1nésos [*]

The only thing that matters is the weight of the preceding
stressed morpheme: if it contains a long vowel (**a: > o,
**i: > e: or **u: > o), or if it ends in a consonant
cluster, the svarita-lengthening does not take place (e.g.
in all neuters, except the s-stems).

[*] The posttonic lengthening perhaps reflects an ancient
stress retraction (in the case of *méhnot-, this is
suggested by Kartvelian *(m)ttute "moon", which might
reflect the older accentuation ***mat-nút-).


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