Re: Origin of *h2arh3-trom 'plough'

From: Tavi
Message: 69788
Date: 2012-06-07

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Rick McCallister <gabaroo6958@...>
wrote:
>
> Then you pretty much solved "plow" --it's from IE *bhelg- "a thick
plank, a beam" which is exactly what
> wooden and metal-tipped wooden plows look like in Central America and
other places that I've seen in
> pictures. *bhlugo- > Celtic or NWB/Venetic/Rhaetic *blug- > Germanic
*plux- "plug or block, plug or block
> shaped thing (such as a plow" which makes a whole hell of a lot sense
more than "land rudder"
>
> > As I said before, this etymology would explain plug but not plough.
In case you haven't noticed, vowel
> > quantity is different in both words.
>
> Keep in mind that they came into English from different paths. Plow,
archaic and dialect plough, is native,
> while plug seems to have come from Dutch or Plattsdeutsch. They may
have even come via different
> substrates -i.e. NWB vs. Romance. So one vowel doesn't necessarily
sink this ship.
>
I disagree. Not only vocalism is different but semantics as well.

> Also keep in mind that English /aw/ and /uw/ are allophonic among
different dialects and between English
> and Scots.
>
I'm afraid that's quite irrelevant for this matter.