The origins of ERCOMAI

B. Ward Powers bwpowers at optusnet.com.au
Thu Jun 6 03:03:07 EDT 2002


B-greekers all,

>Carl Conrad wrote:
>
>>No, you should NOT suppose that the root ERC appearing in the present
>>system of this verb somehow metamorphosizes into the root appearing in 
>>the other systems. In fact, that root ERC appears ONLY in the present 
>>system; the other (wholly unrelated) root has three forms, (all 
>>originally preceded by initial digamma which I'll omit from the account 
>>here):


I'd be interested to have Carl tell us a little more about digamma in the 
history of the language. Was it found everywhere, or only in some dialects? 
How certain is the evidence we have for it? Are there any texts which 
preserve it, or where is its record found? In inscriptions? What were the 
circumstances of it being dropped from the Greek language? I have thought 
this a strange thing to do. (Though I suppose we have done the same in 
English - our letter symbol for " th", for example.)

Regards,

Ward


                                http://www.netspace.net.au/~bwpowers
Rev Dr B. Ward Powers        Phone (International): 61-2-8714-7255
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AUSTRALIA.                         Director, Tyndale College




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