Talk:καρπός

Tea Room discussion re quantity of the alpha

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καρπός

Is the alpha in this Ancient Greek word long or short? — I.S.M.E.T.A. 14:54, 16 October 2016 (UTC)

I think by Osthoff's law it has to be short. —Aɴɢʀ (talk) 15:35, 16 October 2016 (UTC)

I figured the answer would come from a PIE analysis. Thanks, Aɴɢʀ. — I.S.M.E.T.A. 16:18, 16 October 2016 (UTC)

From a PIE POV, in both etymologies the -αρ- comes from a syllabic r̥ in the zero grades kr̥p-/kʷr̥p-, and syllabic r̥ always gives short -ᾰρ-. My first answer was purely synchronic: because of Osthoff's law, long ᾱ can't appear before ρ in the same syllable, so the vowel in καρπός must be short. —Aɴɢʀ (talk) 16:29, 16 October 2016 (UTC)

@Aɴɢʀ: Understood. I'm just not familiar with any of these laws. — I.S.M.E.T.A. 17:20, 16 October 2016 (UTC)