From: fournet.arnaud
Message: 54984
Date: 2008-03-10
----- Original Message -----
From: Patrick Ryan
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 5:25 PM
Subject: [Courrier indésirable] Re: Re[5]: [tied] Mille (thousand)
Real language? That seems to be your standard argument to explain any
variation.
Really "real" language is people learning to pronounce and understand the
words of their language to enable more efficient communication.
But, if you will forgive me, your other arguments seems "silly" to me.
Speakers just snap on initial [s]'s, willy-nilly. You cannot really believe
that!
If it was not a morpheme, regardless of the lack of agreement on what it
might have meant, there would simply be no motivation outside of something
like Pig Latin for doing such a thing.
No motivation, no deed.
And your "re-analysis" proposal desperately needs re-analysis.
If you cannot explain the mechanics of it, I would say your proposal is less
than considerable.
AND for once, Arnaud has made a valid point. Your examples are not morphemes
(which *s- certainly was) and not were initial.
Patrick
==========
Hmm Hmm
Great !
Patrick, don't spoil this moment.
You are on the right track.
Arnaud
====================