"Victovaloke" (was: Re: Name of the Goths)

[David Kiltz]

On 05.08.2006, at 23:10, dciurchea wrote:

> concerning the stream of the Romanian linguists, there is no
> established line to rely on. There is no God in science anyway.
> Please refer for a good article on that at:
> http://www.gandirea.ro/linguistic_history_errors.php

I found the article to be only assertive of the author's amazing lack  
of understanding of comparative linguistics. I wouldn't go into all  
the many things that are wrong, or plainly absurd in his diatribe.  
Comparative linguistics (and linguistics in general) has moved on so  
much, it's interesting he never really cites recent literature  
(unless Romanian on rather non-linguistic subjects). If any of the  
'humanities' can claim scientific methodology it is precisely  
linguistics. This looks like a feeble attempt to create a pseudo- 
tabula rasa for feverish, mostly nationalistic dreams of the author.
While there are many open questions, not least because of lack of  
material, this is totally normal for any science. Just look, e.g. at  
biology, where there are a myriad of questions that still go  
unanswered since 200 years. Comparative linguistics has provided us  
with so much, it doesn't have to be ashamed of comparison with other  
sciences. Of course, quoting from a Larousse of 1938 and then  
claiming 'no progress has been made' is rather pathetic. The author's  
initial premiss 'no basis for Indo-European' remains totally hollow  
throughout the article. This is like saying "the theory of evolution  
is but a phantasm" and then list some points which are unclear. In  
fact though, as is admitted by scholars around the world,  
reconstruction of Indo-European is an infinitely more densely nit web  
then the evolutionary science of biology can hope to be in the next  
few hundred years.

Lastly, there is no God in science? Well, if there is a God, he's  
everywhere, not least in science. If not, then not. Sort of a moot  
point, really. At any rate, I think some people can be happy there is  
no God of science that strikes them down with a vengeance.

David Kiltz


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