[b-greek] Re: Imperative of OIDA and EIMI

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Mon Jan 01 2001 - 08:58:16 EST


At 1:39 PM +0100 1/1/01, Sylvia Schmitz wrote:
>Dear B-Greekers,
>
>while studying Machen (Paradigms p.250-251 - § 602 and 603) I wondered whether
>the imperative forms of OIDA and EIMI 2. Singular Imperative Indicative are
>identical:
>ISQI.
>
>Nor in Lesson 28 neither in Lesson 33 there is a hint, that this form is
>identical.
>
>Could someone answer this question for me?

They are identical in spelling and pronunciation; only the context will
clearly distinguish their usage. Originally, to be sure, they were
different, but loss of weak consonants (digamma in the case of OIDA, sigma
in the case of EIMI) has led to their identity of form and pronunciation:
(note that here W represents Digamma, normally represented by F)

OIDA: WI-DQI --> WIS-QI --> ISQI (D of root WID assimilated to Q)
EIMI: SIS-QI --> IS-QI --> ISQI (root of EIMI alternated btw/ SE and ES;
what's probably happened in this instance is vocalic assimilation between
the E and the I of QI; and of course you can tell that this is mere
guesswork, very possibly wrong).

-- 

Carl W. Conrad Department of Classics/Washington University One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018 Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649 cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

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