Re: leopard

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

>
> If you want to use Starostin's rec., at starling.rinet.ru there is ev. for the word 'badger'. In Turkic languages this is borsuq, morzuq, etc.
>
> Now, grouped within North Caucasian:
>
> Meaning: badger
> Tsezi: birušo
> Ginukh: birušo
> Bezhta: beruse
> Gunzib: miruš
>

These are languages from the Tsezian group, from which Starostin reconstructs a protoform *beru~S:V.

> For these, a rec. like * bOrXumt'sYa \ * bOrt'sYumXa \ etc. could explain both.
>

Starostin's PNEC reconstruction is *bHarVntts´V, pretty similar to your first protoform.

> These words:
>
> pr,´da:ku- = leopard/tiger/snake S; purdúm Kh;
>
> must be IE since r, > r, and n, > a in Sanskrit but r, > ur and n, > un in Khowar show the regular changes of syllabic C in Sanskrit and Khowar (and r, > ar and n, > a in Greek, too). No borrowed word should have a V that varies exactly as the IE consonants did, including 0 in Skt.
>

IMHO the traditional PIE "syllabic resonants" are nothing more than an Indic feature projected back in time, just as "voiced aspirated" stops are. So their supposed vocalizations must be actually traces of an older ablaut system, largely (but not entirely) replaced by e/o in most recent stages. But at present this is only a rough idea to be further developed.