Re: Greek psephas/knephas/dnophos/zophos: linked?

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

>
> You didn't answer the question. How is Georgiev's Pelasgian relevant to pséphas etc?
>

As I said before, this has to do with the stop system of Thraco-Pelasgian, which according to Georgiev was similar to the Germanic one in what series I was voiceless aspirated. So when Greek /ph/ corresponds to /p/ in other IE languages, this would indicate a Pelasgian borrowing.

> Don't forget that a 'link', when implying borrowing in two languages A and B means either 1. A -> B, 2. B -> A or C -> A, B.
>

Who said "borrowing"? IMHO this is common inheritance. To me, IE and Altaic stem from the same phylum.

> > But IMHO Greek
> > ps- in pséphas, pséphos 'dark' must derive from a *labialized*
> > sibilant *ts^W which would be reflected as Etruscan f- in *favi-
> > (cfr. Latin favissa 'crypt' vel sim) and *k´s- in Indo-Iranian
> > *k´sep- 'night'.
>
> I can't follow your 'must'. I assume, since you don't state your reason, that you think assibilation in a nasalised palatalized cluster is impossible. But as I showed you it happened in Polish.
>

Only that this process would hardly explain Greek ps-.

> > The root can be analyzed as compound whose first member would be
> > cognate to NWC *(p@-)dz^W@ 'dusk, evening'. On the other hand, Greek
> > knéphas 'dark, dnóphos, gnóphos 'darkness' would be cognate to the
> > IE word for 'night' *nekW-t-, including reduction of the labiovelar.
>
> And cluster reduction *dhn- -> *n- as I proposed. But see above.
>

From the NEC cognate I'd prefer *Hn- > *n-. However, in Pre-Greek the initial laryngeal evolved in a different way, giving a velar /k/ or /g/, the latter palatalized in /d/.

> > This root would be ultimately related to NEC *h\nitts^wV 'night, evening'.
>
> Related how?
>

Either by way of borrowing (in the case the languages involved aren't genetically related) or common inheritance (otherwise).
genetic relationship b