Companion Terms for 7 and 8 (Re: 'eight' some more)

[R. Rankin]

Apart from the fact that, for me, appeal to such hypothetical evidence just
isn't comparative linguistics, I think I'd expect any earlier Ioway form to
match the present-day Winnebago form for the same numeral, especially if the WI
form were cognate with other MVS forms.  If it too seems to be innovated, then
we're simply without evidence for the earlier Chiwere word.  I'm certainly at a
loss to explain how a transparent hypothetical older form **phe:-ra:niN would be
replaced by an equally or not-quite-as-transparent borrowed replacement
kre:-ra:briN.  I assume the Osages (and Kaws) borrowed a Wichita word for
'eight' precisely because it resembled the Siouan term for 'four' with a prefix
they could folk-etymologize.  But that argument doesn't work for replacing our
hypothetical **phe:ra:niN.

Bob

----- Original Message -----
From: "Koontz John E" <John.Koontz at colorado.edu>
To: "Siouan List" <siouan at lists.colorado.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 11:47 PM
Subject: Companion Terms for 7 and 8 (Re: 'eight' some more)


> On Sun, 2 May 2004, R. Rankin wrote:
> > Chiwere (Ioway), on the other hand, lacks not only the putative
> > source-word for 'eight'; it also lacks any trace of the companion term
> > for 'seven'.