PIE e/o Ablaut

[Patrick C. Ryan]

Dear Stanley and IEists:

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Stanley Friesen" <sarima at friesen.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2000 1:09 AM

> At 12:02 AM 3/8/00 +0000, Patrick C. Ryan wrote:

>> At a time long ago, in an Urheimat far away . . .

[PRp]

>> When PIE had only one vowel, /a/ . . .

[SF]

> This is where I start to have a problem.  As far as I know, NO living
> language has only one vowel, or at most only one or two such languages
> exist.  The normal minimum is *three* vowels: /a/, /i/, /u/.

[PR]

I do not suppose that this was a stable situation. But, as I have written
before, that does not, in my opinion, mean that it could not have occurred
briefly.

Look at Old Indian. There, any vowel other than [a] is clearly a combination
of [a] + [y], [w], or [H] ) or [a] of we consider vrddhi.

>> [PRp]

>> So are you saying there was a time when PIE had two phonemic vowels: /a/
>> and /a:/?

[SF]

> Most would call this stage pre-PIE, or something like that, not plain PIE.

> [And I would suspect he is saying it had only two non-high vowels, which is
> slightly different].

[PR]

Well, call it pre-PIE if you like. I was only trying to avoid the "N" word.

I wait to see what Miguel says.

[PRp]

>> And, if so, what are some roots that had phonemic /a:/ at this stage?

[SF]

> Those that show 'o' in PIE proper, except where that is analogical or
> grammatical.

[PR]

Of which I have yet to see convincing examples.

Pat

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