Re: A LEGITIMATE QUESTION ABOUT 'WATER' ISOGLOSS TO I.E. LINGUIST

From: Richard Wordingham
Message: 70715
Date: 2013-01-18

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Francesco Brighenti" wrote:

> How can the existence of a Proto-Afrasian root *dVr- 'flow' (or else its Proto-West Semitic derivative (through "root-extension"), *ddr- 'flow abundantly' have generated PIE *wedor- 'water'?

Well, it's tempting to posit another root extensions *wdr and back-formation from PIE *wedor- to PIE *wed, but I wouldn't give both of these processes happening much credence. This hypothetical extension is in another of the forms given by Militarev's paper 'Root Extension And Root Formation In Semitic And Afrasian', available at http://starling.rinet.ru/Texts/semroot.pdf .

Richard.