Fwd: Re: Pre-Basque Phonology

[Larry Trask]

On Wed, 29 Sep 1999, Roslyn M. Frank wrote:

>> [LT]

>>>> And <bat> `one' is pretty clearly derived from earlier *<bade>.

> Larry, is this theory on *<bade> yours or did you glean it from some
> other souce? And if it isn't yours, could you share with us who
> first came up with it and when? Did that person use the same
> explanation?

The comparison of <bat> with <bederatzi> `nine', and the consequent
suggestion that <bat> must derive from something of the form *<bad->,
was first made by Henri Gavel early in this century.  The further
comparisons with <bedera> `one apiece' and other items, and the proposed
reconstruction *<bade>, were put forward by Michelena, in his book
Fonetica Historica Vasca, p. 134 and p. 235.

I can claim no credit here, but I do endorse Gavel's and Michelena's
suggestions.  But note that, for lack of compelling evidence, Michelena
did not regard the reconstruction *<bade> as secure, but only as a
plausible suggestion.  This reconstruction is nothing like as secure as
some others, like *<ardano> `wine'.

Incidentally, this last word might intrigue the IEists on the list.
Basque is unusual among European languages in showing no trace of the
widespread `wine' word.  Its *<ardano> (with a number of regional
reflexes in the modern language) has often been compared with Albanian
<ardhi> and Armenian <ort>, both `wine', the suggestion being that the
`wine' word spread across Europe, displacing an older widespread word
from all but these three languages.  Don't know if there's anything in
this.

The Basque word is securely recorded from the 12th century, making it
one of the first Basque words to be recorded outside the ancient
Aquitanian materials.

Larry Trask
COGS
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk