From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 56995
Date: 2008-04-07
----- Original Message -----
From: "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 1:47 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] RE: Primary Stem Formants: =*H, -*i/y, *-u/w
> On 2008-04-07 02:14, Patrick Ryan wrote:
>
> > A very great number of the PIE roots that we find are *C + one of the
> > stem
> > formants above:
> >
> > -*H, -*i/y, -*u/w
> >
> > Another large number combine two of these primary stem formants:
> >
> > *CVHi-, *CVHu-
> >
> > Without reaching outside of PIE for answers, is it possible to determine
> > what the earliest meaning of these formants is?
>
> There's nothing *inside* IE to suggest that roots like *//dHeh1-//,
> *//steh2-//, *//deh3-// contain an extension. On the contrary, all the
> available evidence shows them to be indivisible,
***
I expressed myself poorly. I did not mean that *CVH/y/w- was analyzable as a
root (*CV) + an extension; as far as I am concerned, *CVH/y/w- are roots.
***
and the same is true of
> roots like *//werh1-// 'speak', *//perh2-// 'trade', *//gWerh3-//
> 'swallow, devour'. A root like *werh1- has no relatives of the form
> *wer- or *werC- (where *C is something else than *h1).
***
With this, of course, I disagree.
I believe a root has a minimum of *CV and a maximum of *CVC(V)-.
But, let us look at your assertion by focusing on one of the roots you
mention above:
(6.) *werH1-, 'say ceremoniously, speak'
It will be my contention that:
a. *wer- is the root; and
b. -*H(1) is a root extension.
I have put the subscript in parentheses to indicate my unwillingness to
accept a threefold classification of the 'laryngeal'.
1. My first argument is that there are only two root-forms in PIE: *CV- and
*CVC(V)-.
2. Pokorny recognizes a root *wer-; will you say he is in error?
3. Pokorny records a form *wre:-; do you dispute that it exists?
4. If you admit that it exists (as *wreH-, of course), how do you explain it
from*werH-?
Rather than ramble al over your interesting response, let us first look at
these questions.
I will save the rest of your email, and address the other points as we go
along.
Patrick