Re: PIE meaning of the Germanic dental preterit

From: Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
Message: 54529
Date: 2008-03-02

On Sun, 2 Mar 2008 15:01:30 -0600, "Patrick Ryan"
<proto-language@...> wrote:

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Miguel Carrasquer Vidal" <miguelc@...>
>To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
>Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 2:50 PM
>Subject: Re: [tied] PIE meaning of the Germanic dental preterit
>
>
>> On Sun, 2 Mar 2008 05:09:12 -0600, "Patrick Ryan"
>> <proto-language@...> wrote:
>>
>> >In Lithuanian <baidýti>, 'scare', everyone but Marius seems to agree that
>> >the underlying IE form is *bhoi-dh-.
>> >
>> >The full-grade form of this word would be *bho:(H)i-dhe:(H)-;
>> >
>> >the zero-grade form would be *bh&i-dhe:(H)-.
>> >
>> >What, then, is *bhoi-dh-?
>> >
>> >Is it a locative or not?
>> >
>> >And if the answer is that it is not, what accounts for its form,
>> >diverging
>> >from both full-grade and zero-grade?
>> >
>> >If there has been a clear answer to this question already given, I
>> >apologize
>> >but I have not been able to recognize it.
>>
>> *bhoih2- (etc.) is a perfect (generally preterito-present
>> "to be afraid"), the only formation from this root attested
>> outside of Indo-Iranian.
>>
>> *bhoih2-dh(h1)- is derived from that, probably by adding
>> *dheh1-, the meaning being "to make frightened" (verb) or
>> "fright-maker" (noun).
>>
>>
>> =======================
>> Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
>> miguelc@...
>
>
>You made a point of contrasting the Lithuanian and Latvian forms.
>
>For <baidýti> you informed us the PIE was *bhoH2i-.
>
>Have you changed your mind or is this a simple typo?

As Marius pointed out, my explanation for the circumflex in
Lithuanian was dubious, so I have changed my mind.
See Sergejus' post for an explanation involving metatony.

>Also, since when is *dhe:(H)I- a causative? or mean 'make'.

*dheh1- means "do, make; put" (still does in Dutch).

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