Re: 'Vocalic Theory'

From: Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
Message: 56284
Date: 2008-03-30

On Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:07:22 +0200, "fournet.arnaud"
<fournet.arnaud@...> wrote:

>----- Original Message -----
>From: Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
>
>>I have some questions about your theory.
>>
>>Starting with *a *i *o *u
>>then assuming for example
>>stress lengthening,
>>we reach your pre-PIE system
>>
>>*a *a:
>>*i *i:
>>*o *o:
>>*u *u:
>
>That would be:
>
>*a *a:
>*i *i:
>*u *u:
>
>>Then you suppose
>>*a > PIE *e (ok)
>
>**a, **i, **u > *e, under the stress.
>Miguel.
>==========
>If we start with
>PIE stage 1
>*a *i *o *u plus stress

As I said, I don't have **o at that stage.

>Rule 1 : stressed becomes long
>PIE stage 2
>*a *a: *u *o *o: *i *i: *u *u:
>stress irrelevant because
>length and stress are the same

No. It's lexical. Some roots have long vowels, some short.
All(?) root nouns have long vowels, so there may have been
something like monosyllabic lengthening going on at an
earlier stage.

>Relevant examples :
>a: podos ~ pedis
>u: nuktos~ noctis
>i: ke:rd ~ sir

Something like that, except that the alternations are
basically:

ó ~ é < **á: ~ **a: '
ó ~ 0 < **ú: ~ **u: '
é: ~ 0 < **í: ~ **i: '

>What is the example for o ~ o: ?

None.

>Rule 2 *a: and *o: fused ; *i: > *e:
>*a splits into *aH2 and *eH1
>PIE stage 3
>*a/e *o: *u *i *e: o

Except there is no short *o. That explains the asymmetry *o:
> *o but not *e: > *e.

>(Maybe Tokharian steps out now)
>This might be the last really common stage.
>
>Rule 3 *o: and o fused.
>PIE stage 4
>*a/e *o *u *i *e:
>
>Rule 4 all inherited vowels become short.
>This is Western PIE (Celtic + Italic)
>Rule 4 does not apply to Anatolic and Central PIE.

Rule 4 does not apply anywhere. Celtic and Italic _have_
long vowels (whether originally long, lengthened or of
laryngeal origin).

>I think you mean that. Right ?
>
>Short vowels were unstressed in PIE1 and PIE2
>When did the re-stress of short vowels happen ?
>I can't figure out what's going on during PIE3 and PIE4 ?
>I don't really understand what happens with *i and *u
>after PIE 2 ?
>
>ARnaud
>
>===========
>
>Except in morpheme initial and final position:
>**-a > *e
>**-i > *ye ~ *i
>**-u > *we ~ *u
>
>========
>I need to first understand *i and *u after PIE2.
>Arnaud
>======
>
>>*a: > PIE *o(:) (pod/ped ?)
>>*i: > PIE *e: (Cf. H2i:kwr.)
>>*u: > PIE *o(:) (Example ?)
>
>>nukt / nokt "night" ?
>
>**nú:gt- > *nókWt- under the stress; the oblique e.g. Gen.
>**nu:gt-ás, should have given *n.kWtés, and *n.kWt- is
>attested in Sanskrit and Germanic, but for the most part we
>have analogical *nokWtes or *nekWtes.
>The most interesting form is Greek núx, nu:któs.
>Cowgill's law states that in Greek PIE *o > u between a
>labial and a resonant (Examples from Sihler: *nokWts > núx
>"night", *bholjom > phúllon "leaf", *molah2 > múle: "mill",
>*h3noghWs > ónux "nail", *nogWnos > gúmnos "naked", *morm- >
>múrme:x "ant", *h3noh3mn > ónuma "name", *kWetwores >
>písures "4"). The formulation as it stands cannot be
>correct, or Sihler would not have included it in his chapter
>on Phonology (but rather "Phynology"). I believe that in
>most of the examples given, Greek /u/ reflects an original
>**u:, kept distinct from **a: > *o.
>========
>I think I'm ready to agree with that.
>Arnaud
>==========
>>why should *i and *u not be kept
>>as *i and *u ?
>>Why should they be lost > zero ?
>>On account of what ?
>>I would just keep *i and *u unchanged.
>
>Tell that to the Slavs.
>
>We are discussing PIE2 and PIE3...
>Arnaud
>============

*i and *u have a stronger tendency to get reduced. This
happened in Slavic (*i, *u > I, U > 0). Cf. also the merger
of /i/ and /u/ in non-initial syllables in Uralic, etc.

>In fact, stressed *i and *u are not lost (see above), they
>merge with *a (except at the edge of morphemes, and except
>for labializing and palatalizing effects on neighbouring
>consonants).
>
>Unstressed *i, *u are lost, like unstressed *a.
>The only peculiarity is that long *i: and *u: were
>apparently also lost in unstressed position, unlike *a:,
>which, though shortened, remained and attracted the stress
>(Gen. *pa:d-ás > *ped-és > *péd(e)s).
>=============
>I don't understand that for the time being.
>Arnaud
>============

You can find a lot more in the list archives.

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