Re: VMs: Phrase

[Jacques Guy <jguy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

13/11/2003 7:30:13 AM, Rene Zandbergen <r_zandbergen@xxxxxxxxx> 
wrote:

>--- Jacques Guy <jguy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>> A Greek word can only end in a vowel, or in a member
>> of a 
>> very small subset of the consonants. Sigma is one of
>> them, 
>> and so are nu and rho, psi, and xi. Tau is not.

>To what extent is that true for the various historic
>versions of the language?

Off the top of my head, without diving into any
Greek texts I have lying about, to a very great 
extent. Just think of how foreign names were 
incorporated into Greek, Egyptian names in 
particular.

>I further have to admit I know of no Greek word
>ending in psi.

All nominative singulars of athematic nouns 
ending in a labial plosive, cyclops for instance.
Velars give xi (thorax <- thorak-, phalanx 
<- phalang-...) while dentals disappear leaving 
the lone sigma (lampas <- lampad-, leôs <- leont- 
... can't think of more, my Greek is _ancient_!) 



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