Intensive Reduplication

[petegray]

PIE *Hiugom and Greek initial z

There is of course a continuing debate about the origin of the apparently
double reflex in Greek of PIE initial *y-.    It is an attractive
proposition to suggest *y- > Gk /h/, while *Hy > Gk /z/, but the evidence is
rather more complicated than Nath suggested, and the idea is still debated.
There are some who think the complications are too much, and the idea can't
work.

Secondly, I note that Philip Baldi in hie Foundations of Latin cites PIE
*Hiugom without comment, as if the initial Hy cluster were a proven fact.
Generally, he is happy to express everything in terms of laryngeals, when
there may be still some demurring in some quarters, but at least he does
provide some reputable scholarly support for the idea of an initial
laryngeal in "yoke".

Peter