Dating the final IE unity, in particular the word for "horse"

[proto-language]

Dear Gabor and IEists:

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Gabor Sandi" <g_sandi at hotmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2000 9:36 AM

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: proto-language <proto-language at email.msn.com>
> Sent: Saturday, 25 March, 2000 4:10 PM

>> Dear Gabor and IEists:

> [ moderator snip ]

>> [PRp]
>> I wonder how productive it is to adopt arguments from non-linguists that
>> seem to have little likelihood of being accepted by linguists.

> [GS]
> By non-linguists, do you mean me or Gimbutas? I am a linguist - whether a
> good one or not is not for me to say.

[PR]

I had no intention of questioning your credentials or competency.

[GS]

> Gimbutas's arguments are based on
> archaeology, as well as a certain amount of theorizing that goes along with
> any innovative scientific thinking. There are many linguists who accept the
> Kurgan hypothesis - probably more than those who reject it outright.

[PR]

My problem with Gimbutas is not the Kurgan Hypothesis per se but the
extraneous ideological interpretation she attached to the bare
archaeological facts.

[PRp]

>> I am reasonably sure (though, subject to correction) that a process of
>> deriving *H(1)ek^uo-s from *H(3)o:k^u's is simply not possible.

> [GS]

> Sorry, of course I meant *H(1)o:k^us, *H(3)ek^uos would have resulted in
> *H(3)ok^uos.

[PR]

For whatever it might be worth, this was my point.

[GS]

> I am not too happy about the unusual length, or even the particular ablaut
> grades either. But so much of ablaut variation is unpredictable that I would
> not exclude this particular development. Neither would I oppose vehemently a
> semantic development like "horse-like" > "fast, quick". My main point is
> that *ekwos could be the result of internal derivational processes within
> PIE, and there does exist a reconstructable root that could - in theory - be
> related to it.

[PR]

See my answer to Miguel. I have no problem with anything you have written
here.

Pat

PATRICK C. RYAN | PROTO-LANGUAGE at email.msn.com (501) 227-9947 * 9115 W. 34th
St. Little Rock, AR 72204-4441 USA WEBPAGES: PROTO-LANGUAGE:
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at ek hekk, vindga meipi, nftr allar nmu, geiri undapr . . . a ~eim meipi er
mangi veit hvers hann af rstum renn." (Havamal 138)