Latin and Slavonic for `moon'

[X99Lynx at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/26/99 1:43:38 PM, mcv at wxs.nl wrote:

<<The Slavic palatalizations are not applicable here, only the
satem palatalization *g^ > z.  Cf. znaju "I know" from *g^en(H3)-
"to know".>>

I got surprised here.  Doesn't satemization result in an 's'?
With, e.g., 'sto' (hundred), 'dziesiec' (ten) in Polish, it seems definitely
an /s/.

[ Moderator's reply:
  No.  (There really is no such process as "satemization", by the way, not in
  the way you apparently intend it.)  Several sub-families of Indo-European all
  share a common development of the palatals, from stops to fricatives.  This
  occurs in *all* *three* series (voiceless, voiced, voiced aspirate), not just
  the voiceless series; the different series develop differently, rather than
  all turning to voiceless fricatives.
  --rma ]

Where I do find *g > z is the first SL palatization - before original front
vowels.  (I have here as example, OCS ziv~, cf. Lith gyvas.) The second also
yielded g > z, but where the front vowel has occured because of
monophthongisation (example OCS cena, cf Lith kaina.)

Also, if this *g behaved like a /k/ in satemization, wouldn't we see it also
in 'gniazd-o' (Pol. nest), 'gno-ic' (Pol. fertilize, use manure on a field)
and 'gniesc' (bring close together, press together, squeeze together)? - All
these seem to reflect very basic meanings and are documented early lexical
features that would suggest that they may not have been borrowed.

And if *g did yield /s/ and not /z/, wouldn't that point to other forms -
e.g., 'siedczy' (Pol, investigate, find out, judge), 'snac' (Pol, adv,
apparently, from what we know), 'snowac' (Pol, unfold, develope, muse) - as
older forms.  (I'm using Polish here as presumably one of the least
Greekified SL languages.)

[ Moderator's comment:
  *g does not > **s in Slavic, but to *z.
  --rma ]

Might this suggest that 'znac' and similar forms might be borrowings coming
after satem?

[ Moderator's reply:
  No.
  --rma ]

Regards,
Steve Long