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LIMITATIONS OF THE METHOD OF INTERNAL RECONSTRUCTION
which has undergone a conditioned sound change. When these cases of /xa/ are recognized as arising out of /za/ and therefore set aside, the alternation. between /ya/ and /xb/ owing to the primary change will also be compulsory and permit internal reconstruction of the phoneme /x/.
3
What has been said above about the reconstruction of the Germanic morpheme -to- applies also to Prof. Hoenigswald's observation on the possibility of reconstructing an IE morpheme dhe/dha on the basis of Latin evidence. After giving a comparative reconstruction on the basis of OscoUmbrian and Latin correspondences he observes: "This is as far as the comparative method itself will take us, on the basis of Osco-Umbrian and Latin alone. It does not tell us, for instance, that the set fff is the reflex of four originally contrasting IE phonemes (*bh-, dh-, *gWh-, and s before r)...... The same facts can also be recovered by internal reconstruc tion on the basis of such alternation as Lat. con-dere 'found' (with d) - feci. I made' (with f), representing an IE morpheme dhe/dha with and without a prefix. "2
But appplying the method of internal reconstruction we do not arrive at this conclusion. As it is the alternation between Latin f- and -d-is regular but not compulsory since instances of -f- are also found. If, however, on same other evidence we are in a position to set aside the instances of -f- as due to borrowing, then the alternation f-"-d- becomes both regular and compulsory. Now in this case f is restricted and d free. Therefore by applying Prof. Hoenigswald's rule of internal reconstruction the reconstructed phoneme will have to be set up as f and not d (much less dh). Our reconstruction will mean that Latin shows a split: pre-Latin "f> f-, -d-, the latter merging with the other d. It cannot reveal that Latin f-<dh- has merged with f to be derived from other pre-Latin phonemes.
2. The Principal Step in Comparative Grammar, Language 26. 363 (1950).
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