Category talk:Latin terms interfixed with -i-
Latest comment: 1 year ago by This, that and the other in topic RFD discussion: March 2019–January 2023
The following information passed a request for deletion (permalink).
This discussion is no longer live and is left here as an archive. Please do not modify this conversation, but feel free to discuss its conclusions.
This isn't actually an interfix, but it's just the form that the thematic vowel of the preceding noun takes in a compound. i is the regular outcome of various Old Latin vowels in most positions. —Rua (mew) 22:22, 8 March 2019 (UTC)
- There actually are a few arguments for -i- being an interfix in Latin compound words. The many examples of words with short a e o u in non-final open syllables clearly show that weakening of short vowels to -i- was not a regular phonological process in Classical Latin. And it seems unlikely that Classical Latin had a productive morphophonological rule of vowel reduction to -i- either: in "Latin vowel reduction and the reality of phonological rules", Tore Janson says that Latin adjective and verb roots with short -o- never have alternative forms with -i- in compound words (e.g. potens forms impotens, not *impitens) (p. 5). Also, Old Latin vowel reduction didn't result in -i- in closed syllables or before r, and usually not before clusters of an obstruent and r, but linking -i- can be found in these contexts (compare lectisternium, quadriremis, herbigradus to incestus, onero, perpetro). In compounds, -i- was used even after consonant stems (such as dracōn- in the category's list of words).--Urszag (talk) 01:19, 20 October 2019 (UTC)
RFD-kept, nobody other than the nominator arguing for deletion in almost 4 years. This, that and the other (talk) 03:31, 25 January 2023 (UTC)