The Latin Neuter Plurals in Romance - Page ON
The Latin Neuter Plurals in Romance - Page ON
The Latin Neuter Plurals in Romance - Page ON
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words for this <strong>in</strong>sect or for the clothes-moth, <strong>in</strong> some cases with change or loss<br />
of the <strong>in</strong>itial consonant; It. tarma, OVen. tarmena, V. Anz. tarla, Friul. tarme,<br />
UEng. tarma, tarna, MFr. art(r)e, arde, tarle, Prov. tarma, tarna, tarla, (d)arta,<br />
arda, (d)arna, arnha, now (d)arno, argno, arto, ardo, Gasc. arlo, Cat. arna.<br />
From *LIMITA ‘boundaries’, which became neuter by cross<strong>in</strong>g with LIMINA<br />
‘thresholds’ (from which <strong>ON</strong>orm. Fr. fem. lime ‘threshold’), we get V. Sass.<br />
limeda ‘edge of a field’, V. Canobb. lünda ‘hedge on ditto’, Friul. l<strong>in</strong>de ‘eaves’,<br />
Fr.-Prov. l<strong>in</strong>da ‘strip of land’, Occ. l<strong>in</strong>to ‘wale of a ship’, OCat. ll<strong>in</strong>da<br />
‘boundary’, Ast., Ptg. l<strong>in</strong>da ‘ditto’ (also l<strong>in</strong>de, l<strong>in</strong>do, where Cast. has only<br />
l<strong>in</strong>de). Late LENDINA/*LENDITA was discussed at the end of §6, and<br />
TERMINA/*TERMITA and *GURGITA <strong>in</strong> §10c.<br />
f) In this category we also have an <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g example of a classical<br />
mascul<strong>in</strong>e noun which developed neuter forms later. This is RADII ‘spokes’,<br />
‘rays’, ‘radii’, for which late RADIA is also attested <strong>in</strong> glosses (cf. also the two<br />
forms RADIOLUS/RADIOLUM). Here the modern forms are Rum. rază ‘ray’,<br />
‘spoke’, ‘radius’, It. razza, NIt. raža, raza ‘spoke’, OIt. “come [dà] la rag(g)ia<br />
albore” (Monaci, No. 81), beside masc. razzo ‘spoke’ (and earlier ‘ray’), raggio<br />
(and old raio) ‘ray’, ‘spoke’, ‘radius’, then Friul. raze ‘hand of a clock’, ‘dial’,<br />
beside masc. rai ‘ray’, OFr. raie ‘rays’, beside rai(s) ‘ray’, ‘spoke’, Prov. raia<br />
‘rays’, now raio, rajo, beside rai/ra(i)g/raj ‘ray’, ‘jet’, ‘spoke’, Cat. dial.<br />
raia/raya/raja ‘rays’ beside raig/dial. rai ‘ray’, ‘jet’, ‘spoke’, Sp. raza ‘ray’,<br />
‘cleft <strong>in</strong> a hoof’ beside rayo ‘ray’, ‘spoke’, ‘radius’, Ptg. raça beside raio, as<br />
Spanish (for the phonological development of raza, raça compare bazo, baço<br />
‘bay-coloured’ from BADIU); for Sard<strong>in</strong>ian the DES quotes the Italianism radza<br />
‘thorny ivy’ (cf. Cors. razza, Tusc. ragia, Calab. raja) beside Cent. rayu, Log.<br />
radzu, Camp, (ar)radžu ‘ray’, ‘spoke’, as well as raya and ral’a from Spanish<br />
and Catalan (see below). <strong>The</strong> related verbs have developed other mean<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />
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