From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 58542
Date: 2008-05-16
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew Jarrette" <anjarrette@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 6:40 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Re: PIE initial *a
>
>
> Patrick Ryan <proto-language@...> wrote:
<...>
> ***
> Could you please direct me to the cybalist message that explains your
> Theory? What I don't understand is what conditions would produce the
> change */a:/ > /a/ and which ones would preserve /a:/ (and whether a new
> contrastive relationship between /a/ and /a:/ would arise perhaps from /a/
> of other origin).
>
>
> Andrew
***
Patrick:
The best explanation of my theory is at
http://geocities.com/proto-language/OneLaryngealVocalicTheory.htm
But to answer your question in a word: entropy. If preserving *a: to
contrast wirh *a maintains a semantic distinction, then the extra effort
will be made to maintain the distinction by retaining *a:.
***