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Re: CHAT: weird names, was Re: conlanging,the ultimate feminist subversion

From:Lars Henrik Mathiesen <thorinn@...>
Date:Friday, August 6, 1999, 9:42
> Date: Wed, 4 Aug 1999 11:34:12 -0300 > From: FFlores <fflores@...>
> I assume _ispinaza_ is from the same root as Spanish _espina_, though > I don't see where <-za> came from. And thinking this morning about > _iskultsu_ made me realize it look like Sp. _descalzo_, lit. 'unshod' > (though *_calzo_ doesn't exist). Anyway the vowels are pretty messed > up... /u/ instead of /a/ is very strange.
If I remember J. A. Rea's explanations correctly: Protethic i where other Romance has e (before sp, st). Same reason, independent development. <-za> is the plural <-s> with an echo vowel, because words can't end on that consonant --- then voiced because it's intervocalic. I'm guessing that whatever corresponded to "descalzo" first lost "de" --- like "sport" from "desportu" from "disportus" --- and then got back a protethic vowel. But the first <u> beats me... I could guess at regressive assimilation of low vowels to high, but it could be anything really.
> Could _andet_ be actually a subjunctive, a 3rd person imperative?
As John said, yes. I just forgot that. Lars Mathiesen (U of Copenhagen CS Dep) <thorinn@...> (Humour NOT marked)