Pre-Basque phonology (fwd)

[Larry Trask]

On Sun, 19 Sep 1999, Eduard Selleslagh wrote:

[on Basque <ke> `smoke']

> Two remarks:

> 1.  KE could be related (but how?) to Greek KAPNO'S, ''smoke', i.e.
> to the first syllable, the second being derived from the IE root
> that gave rise to Grk. pneuma, 'breath, wind, etc.', Lat. ventus,
> 'wind' and Eng. wind.

I don't think this is the etymology preferred by specialists.  It
certainly isn't the one preferred by Buck, who relates Greek <kapnos> to
Lithuanian <kvapas> `breath, vapor', probably Latin <vapor> `vapor,
steam', and Gothic <af-hwapjan> `choke', "etc."  Watkins appears to
accept this, at least broadly, and he implies that Pokorny does too, but
I don't have Pokorny handy.

> I am not sure whether KAPNO'S is considered entirely IE, but if it
> is, the Basque word isn't original Basque.

This doesn't follow.  Whatever the source of the Greek word, I can see
no case for deriving the Basque word from the Greek, or from any other
IE source.  Basque has never been in contact with Greek, which in any
event has no form that could serve as a source for <ke>, and no suitable
cognate is attested in any IE language known to have been in contact
with Basque.

> 2. If it is of IE origin, maube via ancient Greek, the aspiration
> would be secondary, I think.

The Basque aspiration appears to be generally of suprasegmental origin
anyway, and not of segmental origin.

Larry Trask
COGS
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk