[gothic-l] Re: Germanic Migrations

[dirk at SMRA.CO.UK]

Bertil,

we are speaking about a time were there are virtually no written 
documents in our area. So the usefulness of historians, as you 
suggest, is limited and linguists and archaeologists take centre 
stage. Elert, Dahl, Udolph and others bring together the latest 
findings from the archaeogical side (I have refered to these 
excavations earlier, Jastorf and Pre-Jastorf cultures) with the
latest linguistic research on early Germanic languages. Both fit 
remarkably well and even the first (tentative) genetic studies tie in 
neatly.
All in all, we are witnessing the undoing of the old 'Common Nordic 
Hypothesis', i.e. the end of the 'out-of-Scandinavia-Theory' in the 
Germanic 'Urheimat'-debate. 

Dirk





--- In gothic-l at egroups.com, Bertil Häggman <mvk575b at t...> wrote:
> Dirk,
> 
> It is always interesting to note the views
> of linguists on these matters but the
> picture cannot be complete without
> historians and archaelogists.
> 
> I am not sure how to interpret the views
> by Elert on the origin of Germanic peoples.
> Could you maybe provide an interpretation?
> 
> Germanically
> 
> Bertil
> 
> > My view is that the spread of the Germanic language took place in 
> > 1000-500 BC, most likely around 700 BC. I would not use the word 
> > "settlement" . There is no reason to assume an invasion or
massive 
> > migration, rather a language shift.
> 
> > It is generally assumed that there was a Germanic-speaking 
population 
> > in parts of NW Germany aroudn 1000 BC. The hypothetic language 
shift 
> > could be due to influence (and limited migration) fron this area 
into 
> > Scandinavia. Other possibilities cannot be excluded. The Bronze 
Age
> > is 
> > period of much commerce and other connections between tribal
> > societies 
> > in Europe. There are linguistic traces of  early contacts between 
> > Germanic and the Baltic languages.


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