Richard Wordingham wrote:

--- In Nostratica@yahoogroups.com, "H.M. Hubey" <hubeyh@...> wrote:
>
>
> Richard Wordingham wrote:
>
> > --- In Nostratica@yahoogroups.com, "H.M. Hubey" <hubeyh@...>
wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > Richard Wordingham wrote:
> > > > > 3. how many starred forms are needed
> > > >
> > > > I don't understand this factor.  Please expand on what you
have in
> > > > mind.
> > >
> > > They posit PIE words from which attested ones are derived.
> > Furthermore,
> > > like the
> > > old elements table there are holes and they too have to be
filled
> > in
> > > with starred forms.
> > > The more you have to create the worse your system.
> >
> > PIE is not attested; it is inferred.  Therefore all PIE words
should
> > be starred.  However, the starring is therefore redundant, and
often
> > omitted.
>
>
> Obviously they have to be starred; the question is how many?

I still don't understand you.  I would expect one starred form per
meaning on the lists, apart from a very few possible exceptions -
'you'  & 'thou'; 'man', 'person' & 'woman'; and 'this', 'that', 'he'
& 'they' (if the latter are on the lists).  Can you give some
concrete examples.

> > > > > Richard Wordingham wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > > Another example is the pair
> > > > > > *pah2ur- and *h2ngni- of PIE words
> > > > > > for 'fire'.

> That is not the main problem. The main problem is how much evidence
from
> outside
> IE should count in the reconstruction of Nostratic. One does not
> construct IE on the
> basis of Icelandic and Sinhalese only. If a third language is taken
into
> account some of
> the postulated sound changes would have to be modified. If we add a
4th
> language
> more changes are needed. Hence, if evidence from outside IE is
> considered for Nostratic
> then IE might have to be changed.

The above seems confused.  It is obvious that non-IE evidence has to
be considered for Nostratic.  Are you suggesting that the
reconstruction of PIE might have to be reviewed in the light of other
Nostratic languages?

Richard.

Yes.

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-- 
...
M. Hubey
...
hubeyh@...
http://www.csam.montclair.edu/~hubey