Re: Middle Welsh (was Cein)

On Fri, 1 Jun 2001 15:46:13 EDT David Peterson <DigitalScream@...>
writes:
>     If you're talking about what I think you're talking about (sun
> and moon
> letters), I find it interesting that it's no longer a phological
> rule.  The
> first consonant is doubled if it is: s, S, s', d, d', t, t', T, D,
> D', l, r,
> and z, if I'm remembering all of them (the ' indicates
> phyringealization).
> What they have in common is they're all alveolar, of course.
> However, then
> we come to the letter giim/Ziim.  In classical Arabic (and now
> Egyptian
> Arabic), it's pronounced [g], so it doesn't have its consonant
> doubled when
> it follows the definite article: algAjS (army).  However, in the
> Arabic that
> pronounces it [Z], it still takes "al" with no doubling: alZejS
> (army again).
>  I think that's why I didn't realize the connection at first when it
> was
> presented me.
>
> -David
-

I wasn't talking about that, but i like the whole sun/moon difference.
Hebrew, though, has all sun letters.  The only letters that aren't
geminated after _ha-_ are the 'gutturals' that i guess people didn't
think they could double.


-Stephen (Steg)
 "sleep, like a fog, blew over him." ~ _gilgamesh_