butterfly

[Koontz John E]

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003, Rory M Larson wrote:
> I'm seeing a problem with the Omaha.  I just checked with Alberta Canby,
> and the verb 'to comb' seems indeed to be /gahe'/, not /kkahe/.  That
> would agree with Bob's instrumental prefix explanation for the initial
> *ka-, but makes the shift to /kka-/ in the /mikka'he/, 'comb' (n), a
> little problematical. Perhaps this would require that the prefix ended
> in /h/ or a stop?  Thus, PDh *m/nih-ka-phe or *m/nik-ka-phe perhaps?

'Woman' is probably historically *wiNh-, but the first question is whether
and how mikkahe inflects.  My recollection is that gahe alone behaves like
a ga-instrumental form - aahe, dhaahe, gaha=i, aNgaha=i.  With the
instrumental locative it should yield i'dhagahe, idha'gahe, i'gaha=i,
aNdhaNgaha=i.