You are right that it would be hard to imagine /b/ to /m/ change if the sound /b/ was placed at the beginning of a word, as an initial. Nevertheless, if we consider some prefixed Slavic verbs, like Russian по-молиться (po-molit/po-modlit) "to take a prayer", my earlier suggestion may not appear to be so odd or unimaginable. Following the Slavic nasalization "pattern" we could hypothesize the process of phonetic changes similar to poMboldit/poMbodlit > pomodlit. There is the Russian verb побудить (pa-budity 'instigate', 'stimulate', 'to make aware') that may be a linking point between pa-molit and an assumed nasalized paM-bolit.
If such an assumption were applicable in this case, then we would be able to "reconcile" Slavic and Germanic words for 'asking', 'bidding', 'prayer'...
As for Sanskrit 'budh' go to the following page
http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/mwquery/index.html and type "wake" or go directly to
http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/monier/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0683-prapyAyana.jpgIn fact, it is a prefixed form pra-budh-, but it doesn't change much because there is a Slavic verb pra-budit with the almost same meanings, starting from "wake up" to "make conscious", "convince", 'make (Russ. pra-budit 'wake', 'instigate','stimulate', 'make conscious", 'make someone come to his senses'; cf. Russ. убедить 'convince', 'pursuade'.
prabudh
A1. -budhyate (Ved. inf. -búdhe) , to wake up , wake , awake (intrans.) RV. &c ;
to expand , open , bloom , blossom MBh. Ka1v. &c ;
P. -bodhati , to become conscious or aware of know , understand , recognise as (2. acc.) MBh. : Caus. -bodhayati , to wake up , awaken (trans.) MBh. Ka1v. &c ;
to cause to expand or bloom Kum. ;
to stimulate (by gentle friction) , S3a1rn3gS. ;
to make sensible , cause to know , inform , admonish , persuade , convince MBh. Ka1v. &c ;
to instruct , teach (two acc.) Ca1n2.
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
From: anjarrette@...
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:36:35 +0000
Subject: Re: [tied] offer-command-announce-awake-aware-inquire-learn-understand-know
I've never heard of /b/ becoming /p/ or /m/ in Slavic, at least not in
the positions mentioned, so I wouldn't put much credence in the idea
that <pytat'> or <molit(va)> might be related to <budit'> or <bljusti>.
While I am familiar with the development of many different but
relatable meanings of <budh-> in Sanskrit, Monier-Williams does not
mention the meanings "persuade" or "convince". Where did you find
those meanings? I point this out because identifying those meanings
might give false weight to the argument that *bheudh- and *bheidh- are
ultimately two forms of the same root (Arnaud's hypothesis).
Andrew
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