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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] hykl

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  • From: "Arnaud Fournet" <fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr>
  • To: "Nir cohen - Prof. Mat." <nir AT ccet.ufrn.br>, <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] hykl
  • Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 22:41:12 +0100


From: "Nir cohen - Prof. Mat." <nir AT ccet.ufrn.br>

[clip]

nir cohen

PS...if indeed you ask my humble layman opinion, even this question
is not that clear cut. assume the word haigalli being invented at a particular
plate in sumer for the first time, some 4-5K years ago, and then propagating
to other semitic dialects, through various channels. what is the probability
that all these other dialects (including hebrew, arabic, aramaic) would
introduce the same exact change, g-->k, into the word?
***

This is not necessarily a change that happened within Semitic languages.

It seems that the contrast between Sumerian g and k, corresponds to some extent to a contrast between k/g (weakly voiced) and kH (aspirated).
As a consequence Sumerian g may be perceived as being equivalent to Semitic k rather than a really voiced g.

As a rule Sumerian renders all Semitic stops as being voiceless C, be they voiced, voiceless and emphatic, and never as CH (aspirated).
The apparent "change" g > k is therefore probably to be accounted for by the difference between the Sumerian system and the Semitic systems.

Arnaud Fournet
***






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