Re: PIE initial *a

----- Original Message -----
From: "fournet.arnaud" <fournet.arnaud@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 7:17 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: PIE initial *a


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@...>
> >>
> >> > Patrick:
> >> >
> >> > I am citing Pokorny's reconstructions. Take it up with his spirit.
> >> > I have explained, over and over, that pre-PIE had four pure vowels:
> >> >
> >> > *e:, *a:, *o:, *A
> >> >
> >> ============
> >>
> >> You are the only one who could ever believe this makes four pure
> >> vowels.
> >> Actually, I can see only three : e o a with short/length contrast.
> >>
> >> You cannot fuse short (Pok) *e and short (Pok) *o under one grapheme.
> >> You need two vowels.
> >>
> >> Arnaud
> >> =============
>
> > Patrick:
> >
> > IEists routinely write it *e/*o.
> ==========
>
> I don't think they mean there is only one phoneme.
> I understand that as meaning _two_ phonemes.
> I suppose they might confirm it.
> Arnaud
>
> ========


Patrick:

They call it the thematic vowel - not vowels, Arnaud.


***

> >>
> >> > PIE *a, as I also have explained at least a dozen times, results from
> >> > a
> >> > shortening of *a: due to the Law of Phonological Entropy; and that
> >> > pre-PIE
> >> > unlengthened *a was _not_ preserved.
> >>
> >> ============
> >> your own mother tongue refutes your Law of Entropy.
> >>
> >> Th stands for both tdh voiced and tth unvoiced.
> >> There is no minimal pair for this contrast between tdh and tth
> >> but tdh has not disappeared.
> >>
> >> The idea that a long a: could become short
> >> while there still are long vowels in the system does not make sense.
> >>
> >> Arnaud
> >> =========
> >
> > ***
> >
> > Patrick:
> >
> > I do not have a "mother tongue".
> >
> > I have a Proto-Language.
> >
> ======
> You misread me.
>
> I meant the English language.
>
> Arnaud

***

Patrick:

English?

Not a factor in this discussion.

***