27. When there was in the next syllable a final ī, V. L. ẹ was changed in Provençal to i: ecc’ĭllī > cilh, ecc’ĭstī > cist, fēcī > fis, ✱prēsī > pris, ✱vēnuī > vinc, vigĭntī ✱vĭntī > vint.
1. In the nominative plural of masculine nouns and adjectives this change was regularly prevented by the analogy of the singular and the accusative plural: mĭssī > mes, plēnī > plen. We find, however, cabil < capĭllī.
2. Dec for ✱dic < dēbuī seems to have been attracted by the dec < dēbuit of the third person. Venguest for venguist < ✱venuĭstī is due both to the influence of the plural forms venguem, venguetz and to the analogy of the weak preterits, such as cantest, vendest.
ę
28. Cl. L. ĕ, æ > V. L. ę > Pr. ę: infĕrnum > enfęrn, fĕrrum > fęr, pĕdem > pę; cælum > cęl, quærit > quęr.
1. Such forms as glisia, lire, pire, pis, profit are French. Profich may be a cross between profieg and profit, or it may be due to the analogy of dich.
2. Cossint, mint, sint, used by Arnaut Daniel, are perhaps faulty rhymes.
3. Auzil < avicĕllī, in the Boeci, may be due to the analogy of such plural forms as cabil < capĭllī, il < ĭllī, etc. Briu, sometimes used for breu < brĕvem, is evidently connected with abrivar, ‘hasten,’ the origin of which is uncertain. Elig shows the influence either of eligir (beside elegir) or of dig. Ginh = genh < ingĕnium evidently follows ginhos < ingeniōsus and its derivatives. Isme (esme) is a post-verbal noun from ✱ismar (cf. azismamen), a dialect form of esmar < æstimare. Quis < ✱quæsi, tinc < tĕnui are due to the analogy of pris < ✱prēsī, vinc < ✱vēnuī.
4. Beside nęula < nĕbula, we find nebla, neble, presumably from the same source, and also nible, niól, nióla, niúl, niúla, nivól. According to Nigra, Archivio glottologico italiano, XV, 494, nūbes > nūbĭlus > ✱nĭbŭlus (and ✱nĭbūlus?), whence might be derived ✱níŭlus ✱niúlus, which would account for niól-a, niúl-a, and perhaps for a ✱nívol > nivól. Nible might be regarded as a cross between neble and niul. Cf. § [38], 3.
5. In ẹs < ĕst the ẹ probably comes from such combinations as mẹ’s, quẹ’s, understood as m’ẹs, qu’ẹs. Espẹlh < spĕculum shows the influence of cossẹlh, solẹlh. Estẹla presupposes a Latin ✱stēla or ✱stēlla for stĕlla: cf. the Fr. and It.