Re: Comparative Notes on Hurro-Urartian, Northern Caucasian and Indo

From: Arnaud Fournet
Message: 60515
Date: 2008-09-30

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Wordingham" <richard.wordingham@...>
>> =========
>> Sorry but I clicked on a link that does not provide any data,
>> just the reconstructed form.
>> If I missed something, I'd be glad to get the right reference.
>
> Brian posted the link -
> http:<//en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Proto-Semitic_*%C5%9Bal%C4%81%CE%B8->
> - try http://preview.tinyurl.com/42t6ez if your browser is giving you
> trouble. Searching for:
===========
ok
thanks.

Ge'ez forms here contradict the forms on Zompist.
Considering the fact that the root is *t_l,
We can also account for the different C3 as the result of a different
suffix.
And are Sabaen forms not display masculine versus feminine ?

Arnaud
========
>
> The reconstruction being offered, ignoring the vowels, is *s'-l-t_ (_
> for interdental), where <s'> is the sound with Arabic reflex /s/ and
> the Hebrew reflex transcribed <s'>, written with sin, and pronounced
> /s/ by the Jews. (The Samaritans pronounce it differently.)
===========
ok,
This reconstruction is therefore inadequate as :
Arabic is th not **s
Hebrew is sh not s(in)
Obvious improvement th_l_th < *t_l
Arnaud
==========
> A
> lateral fricative makes sense as a Semitic reconstruction,
========
No, it does not at all.
Arnaud
========
> Now, in numeral systems it seems common for successive numerals to
> come to start with the same letter. Thus, in a counting sequence, it
> would not be surprising for t_-n-... s'-l-t_... to become t_-n-...
> t_-l-t_..., especially as the former seems to be a bit of tongue
> twister. s'-l-t_ also comes close to breaching a root constraint
> (namely C1 != C2, with phonation differences not sufficing) and I note
> that in Hebrew sin-lamedh-C is disproportionately (just one example in
> my pocket dictionary) rare compared to initial shin-lamedh-C.
==========
Because shin reflects many proto-phonemes, when sin reflects only one.
Arnaud
===========
>
> C1=C3 is far from unknown in Semitic - we have Hebrew/Aramaic n-t-n
> 'give' (also Geez, though it has been sugested this is a loan), and
> Akkadian n-d-n. What's the Proto-Semitic 'sun' root currently
> considered to be? s^-m-s^ or s^-m-s? s^-C-s^ is actually quite
> common in Hebrew, but that may just be a feature of Hebrew.
>
> Richard.
>
==========
I guess Arabic has shams
Arnaud
=========