écagne ,and ConLand names in translation(was: RE: R V: Old English)

Raymond Brown wrote:

> In the Hellenistic period the pronunciation of zeta was clearly [zz] (as
> word initial one assumes just [z]).  In the earlier period it appears to
> have been varied between [zz] and [zd] according to dialect.
That's something that's always struck me as counterintuitive:  why would
a protoform like *[dyeus] become [zdeus], rather than [dzeus]?  The latter
is a straightforward example of palatalization (cf. Japanese t --> ts / _u),
while the former, unless you invoke haphazard metathesis from an originally
palatalized [dzeus], requires you to explain the appearance of that [z] from
somewhere else in the system, which AFAIK would be very problematic.

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Tom Wier <artabanos@...>
ICQ#: 4315704   AIM: trwier
"Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero."
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