IE "Urheimat" and evidence from Uralic linguistics

[Patrick C. Ryan]

Dear Joat and IEists:

 ----- Original Message -----
From: <JoatSimeon at aol.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2000 1:42 AM

>> proto-language at email.msn.com writes:

>> Dangerous', an adjective, is more likely to be derived from 'wolf'
>> ('wolflike') than deriving a noun ('dangerous one') from an early
>> adjective.

<JS>
> -- since the Germanic word for "bear" is precisely a derivative from an
> adjective -- "the brown one", this argument is a little odd.

> Especially since the original PIE word itself -- *h(2)rtkos -- is itself
> probably a nominalized adjective (via a stress shift), from *h(2)rektes;
> see Sanskrit raksas, "destruction".

<PR>

That is the conventional and accepted derivation for 'bear' but --- can we
really be so certain? A word for 'bear' might also be derived from related
roots meaning 'carry' or 'cut out off', and might capture of one two
essential characteristics of 'bears': standing up while advancing,
cave-hibernating.

As for "*h(2)rtkos", you may well have something there.

Pat

PATRICK C. RYAN | PROTO-LANGUAGE at email.msn.com (501) 227-9947 * 9115 W. 34th
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