Re: Latin -idus as from dH- too

On 2008-03-17 07:16, Brian M. Scott wrote:

> What makes this clear? If there actually are two roots
> here, Gk. <pô:u> and <poimé:n> 'a shepherd' would seem to
> point the other way. Given the close semantic connections
> among 'protect', 'herd', and 'nourish', it seems much easier
> to see a single root *peh2- with o-grade *poh2-. (And in
> the other direction I believe that Hittite /pahs-/ 'to
> protect' tends to suggest *peh2-, not *peh3-.)

My personal hypothesis (still tentative and rather speculative, I hasten
to admit) is that <poimé:n> and Lith. piemuo (plus Finn. paimen, which
must be a loan from Baltic) are based on the iterative stem *poh2-éje/o-
(*poh2i-mé:n), hence the pretonic o-grade and the *i, as in e.g.
*moni-tó- from the causative *mon-éje/o-. The only problem is the rarity
of such formations (but I believe I have a few good examples and may be
able to find a few more). If my guess is correct, there's no need to
posit *poh3-, *pah2i, etc. The good old *pah2- root will suffice.

Piotr