ie 'speak' again.

[R. Rankin]

It occured to me to wonder whether there are any verbs in these languages that
begin with the vowel /i/ that do NOT inflect with the pronominals "infixed"?  We
cannot automatically assume that every verb that begins with /i/ has a
'locative, directional' or 'instrument' prefix.  Some roots must simply begin
with /i/.  But if every verb that begins with /i/ inflects like an instrumental,
i.e., infixed, then it appears that there has been analogical leveling, so that
both instrumental/locative verbs AND verbs simply starting with /i/ are treated
alike.  And if this is so, then {ie} 'speak' may or may not be, or have ever
been, bimorphemic.  In other words, infixed conjugation wouldn't enable any of
us to determine the morphemic status of i-.  Only determining the meaning or
function of i- in this particular verb would permit us (or native speakers) to
do that.  And I, for one, see no identifiable meaning or function for the /i/ of
{ie} 'speak'.  One can do virtually anything with enough semantic latitude, of
course, but there's nothing there that is at all obvious to me.

Bob