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From: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Celtic Languages
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References: <177AD13C8FS86.CJRUSS01@ukcc.uky.edu> <DtE1n4.EC8@midway.uchicago.edu> <4qt0o0$55s@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu>
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 14:00:39 GMT
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In article <4qt0o0$55s@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu>,
Kay <peabody@wam.umd.edu> wrote:
>Daniel von Brighoff (deb5@midway.uchicago.edu) wrote:
>
>[snip]
>: 	Now how does one quantify purity?  Intervocalic consonants are 
>: generally lenited ("softened") in both major surviving branches of Celtic, 
>: but not in the same way.  Take Latin STRATA, for instance.  In Welsh, the 
>: 't' is softened to 'd'; in Irish, to 'th' (now pronounced [h] or silent).  
>: Which is closer to the original?  Both handle inheirited clusters dif-
>: ferently.  In the case of initial 'str', Welsh adds an epenthetic schwa and 
>: Irish deletes the 't'.  Which is closer to the original STRATA--'ystrad' or 
>: 'srath'?
>   ^^^^^

>Sorry.  The word is "sra/id / srid".  But, your argument still holds.  
>Example:

	Actually, there are at least three reflexes of STRATA in Gaelic:
srath "river valley", sraith "swath, stratum", and sr/aid "street."  I'm
not well-versed enough in Gaelic etymology to explain the differences in
the forms; I just chose the first one that came to mind.
-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
