Syllabicity

[Patrick C. Ryan]

Dear Jens and IEists:

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Jens Elmegaard Rasmussen <jer at cphling.dk>
Sent: Saturday, May 22, 1999 6:05 PM

> On Thu, 20 May 1999, [discussing with Leo Conolly] Patrick C. Ryan wrote:

>> [...] I will not be able to convince you that my answer is right but I
>> will, at least, tell you what I think.  I believe that all IE roots of the
>> form CVC were earlier "CV-CV. The thematic vowel is a faint reminder of
>> forms that were stress-accented (at one point) CV-"CV.

> [...]

>> I do not think I will convince you of this either but, for whatever it
>> may be worth, I will give you my view,

> [...]

> Pardon my barging in again, but this prompts a fundamental question in my
> head: How can you form an _opinion_ about a matter, if you have no
> decisive arguments? Who would give a damn if I were to declare my belief
> in the existence of PIE front rounded vowels (/u"/, /o"/) if I must
> confess in the same breath that I have no evidence for it? Who would care
> that I "think" or "believe" so, and that it is "my view"? I hope I am not
> on record to have done anything of the sort.

Your opinions are always welcome. As for "decisive", as we have seen many
times, that definition is in the mind of the discussant.

I have not said that I have "no evidence" for my views. At my website, I
have attempted to assemble evidence that is the basis for my opinions and
arguments.

Have you read it, or any of it? I have refrained from presenting the basis
for my views in fuller detail on this list (and the Nostratic list) because,
although they might ultimately connect with IE (and so be appropriate), the
data on which , for example, this view is based, comes from languages other
than IE (or Nostratic).

If you should visit my website, and have strong objections to anything
written there, write it up nicely, and I will post it there with links to
the objectionable material.

Pat

PATRICK C. RYAN (501) 227-9947; FAX/DATA (501)312-9947 9115 W. 34th St.
Little Rock, AR 72204-4441 USA WEBPAGES:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2803 and PROTO-RELIGION:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2803/proto-religion/indexR.html "Veit
ek, at ek hekk, vindga meipi, nftr allar nmu, geiri undapr . . . a ~eim
meipi er mangi veit hvers hann af rstum renn." (Havamal 138)