Update on *nekw and the N-word

[Peter &/or Graham]

Glen said >
>Gee, I could be looney

Then he said:
>wouldn't a
>reconstruction of *?nek^- be in order rather than just *nek^- based on
>the Greek form? Why the long /e/ for augment?

Point taken.   But we must not and may not assume that every Greek word with
long augment or the so-called "Attic" reduplication began with a laryngeal.
Alongside inherited initial laryngeals which develop to prothetic vowels,
(and do other stuff in Greek), there is sufficient evidence that Greek added
a non-inherited vocalic element before some initial resonants.   We need
cross-language proof to establish that there really was a laryngeal here.
Greek may provide a clue to it, but not proof.   Though you may well be able
to find the other evidence somewhere out there!

Peter