Re: Verner-alternating Gmc. nouns

From: tgpedersen
Message: 62292
Date: 2008-12-26

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@...> wrote:
>
> On 2008-12-22 10:00, tgpedersen wrote:
>
> > Your one example of a bona fide IE word is *staþla-/*staðla-.
> > And even that's not certain.
>
> I beg your pardon? *h2ant-i-o- and *k^onk-o- (for example) are
> equally IE, according to communis opinio.

I dissent. Both have Semitic relatives, as I pointed out, so we can't
exclude the possibility of a loan.

> I did not manage to consult the book before Christmas, so I have to
> rely on my fallible memory. Schaffner discusses several possible
> mechanisms responsible for the development of Vernerian variation
> even in thematic nouns and adjectives. Apart from the contrastive
> accentuation of collectives we have a similar contrast between
> adjectives, usually with a suffixal accent, and their root-accented
> comparatives. Originally, the contrast was accompanied by ablaut
> variation, as e.g. in *kr.t-ú- 'strong' vs. *krét-jos- 'stronger',
> but the pattern remained productive in post-ablaut times, cf. Gmc.
> *junGa- (Goth. juggs) < *ju(:)nk-ó- < PIE *h2ju-h3n.-k^ó- vs.
> *junxizan- (Goth. ju:hiza) < pre-PGmc. *jú(:)nk-is-on-.

A-hem. I think you mean *jéunk-is-on-. Unless you want to set up a new
ablaut pattern?


Torsten