The Latin Neuter Plurals in Romance - Page ON
The Latin Neuter Plurals in Romance - Page ON
The Latin Neuter Plurals in Romance - Page ON
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
120<br />
fondamiento from the s<strong>in</strong>gular). Less widely represented are *CORNUAMENTA<br />
‘horns’, Sp., Ptg. cornamenta, Sard. corramenta; ARMENTA (Glos. Cass.<br />
ARMENTAS) ‘herds’, Rum. armînturi (hapax leg.), Bellun. armenta, Friul.<br />
armente ‘cow’, Central Rh. arma<strong>in</strong>ta with a new s<strong>in</strong>g. arma<strong>in</strong>t (also <strong>in</strong> Eng.),<br />
Ptg. armenta (REW); PIGMENTA ‘colour<strong>in</strong>g matter’, Prov., Ptg. pimenta, Sp.<br />
pimienta ‘pepper’; *VITIAMENTA ‘<strong>in</strong>stances of spoil<strong>in</strong>g or corrupt<strong>in</strong>g’, Rum. pl.<br />
învăŃăm<strong>in</strong>te ‘teach<strong>in</strong>gs’, OIt. (Rom.) veçamenta ‘tricks’; *VASCELLAMENTA<br />
‘vessels’, OIt. vasellamenta, OFr. vaissellemente; SENTIMENTA ‘feel<strong>in</strong>gs’, Rum.<br />
(modern) simŃim<strong>in</strong>te, OIt. sentimenta. Other similar formations found <strong>in</strong> the<br />
various languages are Rum. pl. acoperăm<strong>in</strong>te, apărăm<strong>in</strong>te, căzăm<strong>in</strong>te,<br />
crezăm<strong>in</strong>te, jurăm<strong>in</strong>te, legăm<strong>in</strong>te, morm<strong>in</strong>te together with old and dial.<br />
mormânturi, (a)stâmpărăm<strong>in</strong>te, fem. s<strong>in</strong>g. rugăm<strong>in</strong>te; so also OIt.<br />
sagramenta/saramenta/seramenta/sagramente, comandamenta/comannamente,<br />
guarnimenta, elemente, momenta, pedamenta, piacimenta, tradimenta,<br />
sengnamente, with filamenta and fem. gimenta ‘female donkey’, ‘mare’ still <strong>in</strong><br />
use (cf. also dial. s<strong>in</strong>g. sarmenta/sarmanta from SARMENTA ‘twigs’ and<br />
armenta/romenta from RAMENTA ‘shav<strong>in</strong>gs’); Surs. paramenta, schelmamenta,<br />
scroccamenta, cauramenta, ladramenta, lumpamenta, Eng. schelmama<strong>in</strong>ta,<br />
chavrama<strong>in</strong>ta, ledrama<strong>in</strong>ta (LEng. la-), lumpama<strong>in</strong>ta, guargima<strong>in</strong>ta,<br />
ch<strong>in</strong>dlama<strong>in</strong>ta, narrama<strong>in</strong>ta (note the tendency <strong>in</strong> these dialects to create new<br />
words denot<strong>in</strong>g groups of animals or people, as cauramenta, chavrama<strong>in</strong>ta<br />
‘herd of goats’, ladramenta, ledrama<strong>in</strong>ta ‘band of thieves’); OFr. crassemente,<br />
lamente (and note fem. jument correspond<strong>in</strong>g to It. giumenta); Prov. ornamenta,<br />
ramenta; Cat. bastimenta; OSp. sacamienta; Ptg. curtimenta; Sard. armamenta,<br />
foddžimenta, loramenta, isterrimenta, pagamenta, pannamenta, paskimenta<br />
(HWS, §54), all denot<strong>in</strong>g groups of th<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />
b) We can see from the fact that -MENTA has survived <strong>in</strong> Rumanian and<br />
Sard<strong>in</strong>ian that this formation belonged to the popular stratum, though not all the<br />
120