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Day: May 1, 2017

Why has the word συγγεής two γ? I know it comes from σύν + γεν, and that later the ν disappeared, but why putting two γ? And why has the ν disappeared at the certain point in history?

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Posted in categories: Ancient Greek, Linguistics

Because Greek didn’t have an ŋ letter, although they knew that the sound existed. Phonetically, the final -n in prefixes was often assimilated phonetically to the following letter: syn ‘with’ + pathos ‘passion’ > sym-patheia ‘sympathy, compassion’ syn ‘with’ + labē ‘taking’ > syl-labē ‘syllable: sounds “taken together”’ syn ‘with’ + rhaphē ‘sewing’ > syr-raphē […]

Why are “m” and “n” sounds often interchangeable and/or confused in the middle of words?

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Posted in categories: General Language, Linguistics

In the case you raise of count, this is simply Assimilation (phonology). It’s not that the m and the n are interchangeable, it’s that nt is easier to pronounce that mt, because both the n and the t are alveolar, so you do not have to move your tongue and lips between the two sounds; […]

What do you think about ignoring other language’s diacritics, umlauts etc.?

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Posted in categories: General Language, Writing Systems

I’ve just written an answer about Pāṇini. I know what a macron is, and I know what a retroflex nasal is. I also know that the Sanskrit grammarian is not to be confused with an Italian sandwich. Nevertheless, in my answer I referred to him as Panini. And I do not feel guilty for doing […]

The Greek word genesis (γένεσις) has the root gen, but where does the suffix -esis come from?

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Posted in categories: Ancient Greek, Linguistics

Γένεσις /ɡénesis/ “Genesis, origin” consists of the verb root gen- “to originate”, and the ending -esis. The -εσις ending of Greek genesis has two components. The –sis component is a nominalisation, indicating the result of a verb. Cf. ly-sis ‘solution’ < lyō ‘solve’; gennē-sis ‘birth’ < gennaō ‘give birth’; pep-sis ‘digestion’ < peptō ‘digest’; theōsis […]

The Greek word εὐγενής ‘noble’ comes from εὖ ‘good’ + γεν- ‘breed’, but where does -ής come from?

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Posted in categories: Ancient Greek, Linguistics

-ής, -ές is a suffix used to form adjectives. The entry on -ής, -ές in Smyth’s Grammar §858, reads (Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges): 5. ες (nom. –ής, –ές): primitive: ψευδ-ής false (ψεύδ-ω deceive), σαφ-ής clear, πρην-ής prone, ὑγι-ής healthy. Very common in compounds, as ἀ-σφαλ-ής unharmed, secure (ἀ-priv. + σφαλ- in […]