Re: PIE meaning of the Germanic dental preterit (locative compounds)

I think Piotr may have very well unlocked the door behind which is the
explanation for the form *bhoi- that we find in Lithuanian <baidyti>,
'scare'.

As we are all aware, the full-grade of the word for 'heart' in IE is *k^érd-
(which I would emend to *k^(h)érd- though this has no bearing on the present
discussion).

The zero-grade for the same word is *k^Rd-.

In the compound *k*red-dhé:-, we have neither the predicted full-grade nor
the predicted zero-grade; Piotr's explanation is that *k^réd- represents an
endingless locative (which I would hazard the supposition derived in turn
from an earlier *k^(e)réd-H-).

Thus, *k^red-dhé:- would not be 'place heart in him' but 'place him _in_
heart'.

This is the only credible explanation for the form *k^red- that has been put
forward; and it is almost certainly correct.

Now, in the case of Lithuanian <baidy(ti)>, 'scare', we have apparently IE
*bhoi-dhè-. The full-grade of the word for 'fear' is *bhó:(H)i-; its
zero-grade is *bh&i-. Obviously, *bhoi- is neither of those.

In a Noun+Verb compound, we expect the pattern set by *mNs-dhé-, i.e.
zero-grade in the Noun; full-grade in the Verb.

*k^red- and *bhoi- are therefore conspicuous by their non-conformity with
expectation.

In the case of *k^red-, locative, we have the pattern *CØCéC-; if we apply
that pattern to *bho:(H)i-, the consonantal skeleton of which is *bh-(o:)-y
(I am regarding LENGTH as a semi-consonantal feature), we obtain *bhoéy-
which could easily become *bhoí-.

Those more adept than I at working with 'laryngeals' may propose a slightly
different path from *bho:(H)i- to *bhoí- which will not materially affect
the argument.

Thus, *bhoi-dhe:- should _not_ be interpreted as 'place fear in him' but
rather 'place him _in_ fear'.

I would urge you, Piotr, to write this up and publish it.

It is an extremely useful idea the specific and general applications of
which may be able to explain other _formal_ divergences in (P)IE Noun+Verb
compounds.


Patrick