--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@...>
wrote:
> Then what about PIE <a:>? Do you believe it was a lowish central
vowel also?
Remind me, where does it occur? AFAIK Sanskrit /a:/ is a proper low
vowel.
> Why did <a> not survive in PIE?
Pre-PIE /a/ must have fronted (perhaps even raised to [æ]) and then
perhaps got pushed out by new, central /a/ of various origins. Cf.
varieties of English for which '/a/' is untenable as a description of
the vowel of <bad>.
Richard.