Re: Schwa (Was PIE Reconstruction)

From: stlatos
Message: 60556
Date: 2008-10-02

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "elmeras2000" <jer@...> wrote:

> The word for "earth" is Hitt. tekan, gen.
> tagnas, which must represent a more original form of the paradigm
> which was changed in the other branches by introduction of the
> product of the cluster *d(h)g^h- as it had been in the locative, **d
> (h)g^h-ém(-i) > IE *g^h{th}ém(-i) (Ved. ks.ámi). This is one of the
> mainstays of the understanding of the "thorn" clusters in IE. It is
> of course also one of the basic arguments for an Indo-Hittite model,
> indicating as it does that Anatolian was the first branch to split
> away from the IE unity. This is all classical knowledge by now.
>
> Jens
>

The paradigm dé:gan, dagná:s would be evidence for PIE *degho:m,
*dghmos (with insertion of @>a, or maybe *doghmos) if taken at face
value. However, there are problems.

It's hard to see how the above paradigm could give *ghdo:m so
consistently in the rest. No other languages have anything with
*dogh, *degh, *d@..., or *dagh due to insertion or retention in 'earth'
or derivatives. Changes of sC- to isC- and tk>tak as h^ar-ta-ag-ga-
(xartaka-?) in Hittite could be evidence of insertion as a possible
explanation for dé:gan, dagná:s, but why would the V be e in one case
and a in another?

The other branch used to support *dgh- is Tocharian *tken > TA tkaM,
TB keM with m > n in the nominative spreading to all forms (like
Hittite). This shows no e between t_k and an odd e where o might be
expected. This might be explained by analogy of o:m with om+ in the
obl. with -om > -em (tying in with -os > -e), but there are no other
examples.

However, if both cognates are explained by the same changes, another
possibility exists. If -o:m > -e:m in both, then the inserted V in
dé:gan, dagná:s and xartaka- would always be the same as the following
V (en > an later, regularly). Thus the same form *ghdo:m > *dghe:m >
dé:gan, *tken > TA tkaM, TB keM as well as G khthó:n, L hu:m-, Alb
dhe, etc.


To Anatolian and Tocharian:

*ghdo:m
*dgho:m
*dghe:m


To Hittite:

*dghe:m ... *dghmos
*deghe:m .. *doghmos
*deghe:m .. *daghmas
*deghem
*deghen
*deghan
*degan
*degan .... *dagnas (ana. with nom causes m>n)


The same with other Anatolian (loc. *dghomi > *doghomi > Luw *dagami
takami).