[Facts] Re: Guiscard
in reply to a message by Mike C
ah, OK, I'm looking at the 1856.
Prior to the loss of unaccented syllables, monosyllabic protothemes gain an extra syllable (usually from the oblique cases) when the first syllable is short. When the first syllable is long, there will initially be a second syllable only if the nominative case or the usual compound form is disyllabic to start with. Wis- being long, will not have a second syllable in dithematic names. If there is a second syllable the theme must be a different root, Wisu- "good"; Wisi- "leader, guide"; or Wisa-/Wise- "way, manner". Similarly if we have a name Rasupert, the root will not be Ras- "number, counsel", which being long will not have second syllable in names, but an evolution of Raeswa- "counsellor, ruler" (attested onomastically in a runic inscription). Disyllabic themes may be reduced to single syllable by loss of the unaccented second syllable, which confuses things in some cases, but monosyllabic themes with a long vowel will not usually "gain" a second syllable.
Prior to the loss of unaccented syllables, monosyllabic protothemes gain an extra syllable (usually from the oblique cases) when the first syllable is short. When the first syllable is long, there will initially be a second syllable only if the nominative case or the usual compound form is disyllabic to start with. Wis- being long, will not have a second syllable in dithematic names. If there is a second syllable the theme must be a different root, Wisu- "good"; Wisi- "leader, guide"; or Wisa-/Wise- "way, manner". Similarly if we have a name Rasupert, the root will not be Ras- "number, counsel", which being long will not have second syllable in names, but an evolution of Raeswa- "counsellor, ruler" (attested onomastically in a runic inscription). Disyllabic themes may be reduced to single syllable by loss of the unaccented second syllable, which confuses things in some cases, but monosyllabic themes with a long vowel will not usually "gain" a second syllable.
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Thank you for explaining, very interesting!