Onegin again

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Robert Orr (colkitto) wrote:

>> hear, hear!
>>
>> The phrase "ad hominem argument" seems apt in this particular exchange.
> 
> No, it doesn't. "homo-" in "homosexual" is from Greek "homo-" (with an 
> omega in the first syllable) "same" (cf. also Common Slavic *sam- plus 
> all its derivatives (most people on this list could probably come up 
> with hundreds, from any Slavic language), and not from Latin "homo" - 
> "man" (actually "human"; ultimately cognate with Common Slavic *zem- 
> "earth", cf. Lithuanian zmuo/zeme)  

Fascinating.

> In English, forms derived from Latin homo should be pronounced with a
> short vowel in the initial syllable, and  those from Greek homo-
> with a long one. (This distinction has been lost in most Slavic 
> languages, even those which preserve any sort of length).

Yeah, sure! You've got a case!

No matter how right you are etymologically, English will do as it 
pleases. We do say [ædˈhɑmənɛm] with so-called "short o" and 
[ˌhoməˈfobɪk] with so-called "long o" according to your prescription, 
but if it were the other way around that would just be the luck of the 
draw. Many of our earlier long and short vowels have been reorganized, 
some several times along the way, for reasons that have nothing to do 
with their provenance. "Night" originally had a short vowel, but we 
lengthened it when we dropped the velar, and no army of etymologists can 
change that. What will you do with homonym [ˈhɑməˌnɪm]?

In the same way, modern Russian /a/ doesn't necessarily -- or even 
usually -- represent a Common Slavic long vowel. There have been too 
many changes along the way.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------