From: Knut
Message: 462
Date: 2001-11-30
>Hi
> >Therefore I postulate that some nouns right before the zero-grade
> >process had an accent pattern with constant stress on the second
> >syllable. (These nouns may or may not have had penultimate stress
> >in an even earlier time)
>
> But why complicate a theory unnecessarily? A good theorist tries
> to find the _simplest_ theory possible. The simplest theory, as far
> as I see, is that there was penultimate stress up until final
> vowels were lost (whereby this loss directly obscured the original
> stress pattern). Everything is explained.
>
> Therefore, it's simpler to presume that these thematic nouns
> had penultimate stress like any other word up until their final
> vowels were lost. Further, if you were correct, there's absolutely
> no reason for the difference in accent pattern at all. It's too
> loose in comparison.
>
> I think the "important thing right now" is that you start thinking
> about whether you want a logical theory or whether you just want
> to propose something unique for the sake of uniqueness.
>
> - love gLeN
>
>http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
> _________________________________________________________________
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at