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You can tell "rufus" is a loan because it contains medial -f-, and native Latin words don't contain medial -f-, except after prefixes. The only Latin sources fo
by 80386 8y ago
You can tell "rufus" is a loan because it contains medial -f-, and native Latin words don't contain medial -f-, except after prefixes. The only Latin sources for /f/ are Proto-Indo-European bh dh *gʷh in initial position; elsewhere, they generally become /b d v/, in a process that probably paralleled the rhotacism.
This sound change wasn't shared by Oscan, Umbrian, or Faliscan -- compare Faliscan "carefo" to Latin "carebo", and Oscan "mefiaí" to Latin "mediae".
- tuomosipola 8y agoWeiss's book is full of this kind of stuff. Actually, the whole point of the book is to list. Apparently there will be a new edition this year. Michael Weiss, Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin. Beech Stave Pr Inc (December 31, 2009). http://beechstave.com/weiss.htm http://beechstave.com/weiss.htm
- simonebrunozzi 8y agoYour comment is amazing. I am from Umbria, by the way (Assisi), and I felt a bit special when you mentioned this (I know it's silly, but it worked). You seem to know a lot about language and Latin in particular. I studied Latin in school, and I am still a curious reader. Would you have online resources, or books, to recommend for someone like me who'd like to stay up to date with recent research?