Re: Lithuanian diphthongs

BTW -- after *#aiH- became #íe- it should have developed a prothesis anyway -- if not v- (<*w?) then [j-], as any other ie-words have in Lithuanian. Even if not revealed in spelling (except in <jie> 'they'), it's still there (if not phonemically then at least phonetically).

Cf. (dial.) vierube: ~ ierube:~, both 'hazel grouse'.

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@...> wrote:

>
> Whatever the source of this /v-/ (there are several explanations, none
> of them universally accepted), it is as likely to be "laryngeal" as the
> irregular /w-/ of Modern English <one>.
>
> Piotr
>