Germanic *augon = eye

Discussion in 'Etymology, History of languages and Linguistics (EHL)' started by Arabus, Feb 3, 2013.

  1. Arabus Senior Member

    United States

    I would like to know how the Proto-Indo-European word *h3okw- "eye" developed into *augon in proto-Germanic. I specifically want to know about the diphthong in *augon. How did it develop? What is the rule operating here?

  2. mataripis

    mataripis Senior Member

    I don't have background in German language but i want to know the meaning of 'Augon" how it is read/pronounced. If i use the greek sound, i read it as avgon. if latin , it is awgon. If it is related to word "ion" of English maybe it is related to word "center" or core.
  3. xari Member

    Maybe it's the same rule in the words for "sun" in Latin (sol), in Russian (солнце/solntse) and Lithuanian (saulė)? I'm also interested!

    Now, not meaning to derail the thread, but as it's still related, I just wanted some confirmation about something I (barely managed to) read yesterday with my rudimentary skills:

    Moderator note: Off-topic comment moved here.
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 7, 2013
  4. entangledbank

    entangledbank Senior Member

    English - South-East England
    A trawl through Google Books doesn't seem to show any confident derivations, but there is the suggestion that the regular development **ag- assimilated to *auz- "ear".
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2013
  5. NorwegianNYC

    NorwegianNYC Senior Member

    New York, NY, USA
    The only explanation I have seen (I have never delved very far into this word) is that *okw- was "paired" and harmonized with *ous (ear) in Proto-Germ, creating PG *auzon (ear) and *augon (eye).
  6. sotos Senior Member

    I wonder if the correct question would be "how some linguists from the attested Auge etc constructed the *augon and then the *h3okw- in a way that everything looks like was made according to a rule?". Or, if there was really a rule, which way it operated?
  7. fdb Senior Member

    Cambridge, UK
    French (France)
    Actually, this is a good example to show that it is not true that we evil linguists constructed things

    It is rather an example of how analogy overrides the rule.

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