Re: Barba and Bestia: bH>b (dissimilation)

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "caotope" <johnvertical@...> wrote:

> > Bestia is borrowed from *beRsYtYab < *beRtYsYaB and be:lua < *betYsYLaw < *betYsYRaB (with R = voiced uvular fricative, B = bilabial r).
>
> What the heck is that stuff supposed to be? *R suggests something Afro-Asiatic,

How so? It is found in many languages.

> but "bilabial R"!? The bilabial trill is only found in about three languages of Amazonas and two of Congo.

No, B also occurs in Fas (in New Guinea) and must be reconstructed for the common ancestor of Fas and (at least) most neighboring languages. Of course, it also had R which alternated with X and q (Fas k; Baibai r), as in *d.ór.u > *r.Ár.u > *RÁRu dis> *RÁ-u \ qÁ-u > Baiberi kau; *qÓ-u > Fas ko-O; *RÁ-i > *RÉ-i > Baibai re 'tree' (Tocharian had opposite dissimilation *RÁRu dis> *ÁRu > or); or *kwapn.os > *qqwaps.n.os > *qHXwOpn.ës.AX > F kamësO; B rasmO 'smoke' (as in Khowar *qHos.n. > kHus^ùn, which is a known IE language).

The PIE sound d. > d.r. (and vice versa) and d.r. > r. optionally in all IE (*d.r.u-s.t.xo- > Alb d(r)ushk-; *d.us.- 'wrong' > Iranian *d.(r.)us.mYn.- > Bactrian lruhmin 'enemy', *d.akYrYu > *r.akYr.u dis> *akYr.u 'tear' in many (r.>R>X in Hittite)).

Also, B can be reconstructed in many languages (coming from r next to a (bi)labial or r/w next to a labiovelar), in most of which it optionally became either w or r, such as North Caucasian *!wïn?i 'belly':

*!wun?i
*!wïn?i (opt)
*xWwïn?i
*xWBïn?i
*xWëBïn?i
*BëxWïn?i


*BëxWïn?i
*BëxWïni
*BoxWïni
*BoxWïn
*BoxWïn *woxWïn
*roxWïn *woxWïn

Tsakh wuxun, Lez rufun


*BëxWïn?i
*BëxWïni
*BëxWïn
*BëxWï~
*Bë~xWï~
*B~ë~xWï~
*w~ë~xWï~
*më~xWï~

Avar maxá

> ("Y" would presumably be the newest breikthru in How to Transcribe Palatalization in a Nonstandard Fashion. ;)
>
> John Vertical
>

I reconstruct and discuss many sounds. In order to keep each symbol to one use, and not use many arbitrarily, I use ^ for s^ (sh or S) and sY (pal.), etc., as well as s. (retro.) and s' (glot.). Of course, since in some environments sW > sw, etc., writing sY > sy is convenient as well as orderly.