From: dgkilday57
Message: 70146
Date: 2012-10-10
>I cannot follow you. If vowel-weakening were uniform we would expect *alicer and *adigium. This is vowel-harmony and has nothing to do with Ferndissimilation.
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "stlatos" <sean@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "dgkilday57" <dgkilday57@> wrote:
> > >
> > > [...]
> > >
> > > You have already suggested what differentiates <alacer> from <alipe:s>, the pre-labial environment in the latter.
> > >
> > That is ridiculous. It is regular for -a- > -e- in ALL env., it is alacer that needs the expl., found by a-a. Adding a THIRD rule, the exc. to the exc., is needlessly complex to avoid a change easily seen to be as opt. as its opp. (two similar sounds at a distance dissim., like r-r > r-l, etc.).
> Also, your supposedly regular rule didn't work for alapus and alapa, w preserved -a-. For adsultus, w/o preserved -a-, there's no _P env. needed to follow the rule you created w TWO examples because you need total regularity. If there's more "phonetic complexity" I'm missing, let me know so I don't fall to far under the sway of opt. changes before I can be saved.<alapa> 'palm of the hand; paddle of a water-wheel' is most likely an Etruscan loanword; cf. Etr. <alpan>, <alapn>, *alapan 'willingly' i.e. 'with palms out'.