Re: Sos-

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "dgkilday57" <dgkilday57@...> wrote:

>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Torsten" <tgpedersen@> wrote:
> > >
> > > [...]
> > >
> > > > Note also, re your concern wrt. PPGerm *kant-ú- section VII
> > > containing 'Die maskulinen u-Stämme mit grammatischem Wechsel' and
> > > 'U-stämmige Adjektiva mit grammatischem Wechsel'. Feminine gender
> > > could be imposed on the basis of "hand" f. / "foot" m. found in
> > > other IE languages.
> > >
> > > A real stretch, since 'hand' is masc. in some IE lgs. And note the
> > > discrepancy of Frau Sonne, Herr Mond vs. Latin/Greek.
> >
> > The constant across languages here is the gender dichotomy in hand/foot and sun/moon. If "foot" was already m., "hand" must be made f.
>
> Right, an actual universal? In Russian, 'sun' is neuter, and Pokorny thinks Lat. <so:l> was earlier *sawele, neuter. And <lu:na>, *louksna:, Avestan <raoxna>, etc., was originally an epithet of the goddess, not the moon itself.

Corrections: *sa:wele, <raoxsna>

Russian:
<ruka'> f. 'hand', <noga'> f. 'foot'; <so'lntse> n. 'sun', <luna'> f. 'moon'

Gaelic:
<la`mh> f. 'hand', <cas> f., <troigh> f. 'foot'; <grian> f. 'sun', <gealach> f. 'moon'

Welsh:
<llaw> f. 'hand', <troed> m./f. 'foot'; <haul> m., <huan> f. 'sun', <lleuad> f., <lloer> f. 'moon'

Sanskrit:
<pa:n.i-> m., <hasta-> m. 'hand', <pa:da-> m., <caran.a-> m./n. 'foot'; <savitr.-> m., <su:rya-> m. 'sun', <candra-> m. 'moon'

Hebrew:
<ya:d> f. 'hand', <re'gel> m. 'foot'; <s^e'mes^> m./f. 'sun', <ya:re:h.> m. 'moon'. Also feminine epithets in Song 6:10, <hah.amma:h> 'sun' (i.e. 'the hot, the glowing'), <halva:na:h> 'moon' (i.e. 'the pale, the white'). Both of these are probably calqued from Persian.

I see no "constant across languages" here; the proposed connection is hardly more universal than that German spoon/fork/knife thing. Therefore, it provides no compelling reason why 'hand' should be feminine in Germanic.

DGK