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Re: CHAT: Natlang word relations

From:Grandsire, C.A. <grandsir@...>
Date:Thursday, November 18, 1999, 9:10
Barry Garcia wrote:
> > This question has been bothering me all day, it is, are the words > "Cernnunos" ("The horned one" from Celtic myth) and "cornu" (or whatever > the Latin is for horn) related (even if very distantly) to eachother? It > seems plausible to me. *shrug* > > _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- > > 'The beginning calls for courage; the end demands care'
For me too. The Latin word is "cornus" or "cornu" (fourth declension, not first), I don't remember exactly. The alternance e-o is often found inside I-E languages and between them (rests of the e-o alternation in PIE), and I think Celtic languages are like Latin in that they kept the velar stop of PIE, whereas Germanic languages changed it to /h/ (and reintroduced a velar stop by losing the aspiration of the aspirated velar /kh/, but that's another story). Am I right or completely off? -- Christophe Grandsire Philips Research Laboratories -- Building WB 145 Prof. Holstlaan 4 5656 AA Eindhoven The Netherlands Phone: +31-40-27-45006 E-mail: grandsir@natlab.research.philips.com