> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > Of Michael Everson
> >*hxC(V)- ~ *shxC(V)- [the x's to be subscripted] > > > >are more like mathematical formulae than text. > > They are not mathematical formulae. It is a kind of linguistic > (though not phonetic) notation. Yes. In case anyone isn't sure what the notation means, I believe it is as follows (assuming these works are typical of works in historical linguistics): * precedes a transcription to indicate it is a historical reconstruction posited by inference from data obtained from later periods in time ~ is used to indicate an alternation; thus, *hxC(V) is in alternation with *shxC(V) s and h are symbols for particular phonemes; as indicated in the doc, hx is being used to represent the laryngeal with uncertain vowel coloring C and V, of course, represent an arbitrary consonant and vowel ( ) denotes optionality; thus, the above notation is short hand for *hxC ~ *shxC and *hxCV ~ *shxCV So, the expression *hxC(V)- ~ *shxC(V) is saying, in relation to certain phoneme sequences known to exist in later varieties, that an earlier precedessor to the language(s) in question is believed to have had hC or shC, and hCV or shCV (with the vowel colouring on the h unknown or left unspecified). Peter Peter Constable Globalization Infrastructure and Font Technologies Microsoft Windows Division
