Of Trees, nodes, and minimal paths (was Re: Urheimat in Lithuania?)

JoatSimeon at aol.com JoatSimeon at aol.com
Thu Apr 6 18:32:23 UTC 2000


Of course, one basic problem is that the means by which languages "split" is
not uniform.

Eg., gradual differentiation within a large but contiguous dialect continuum
will have rather different results from an abrupt divorce due to rapid,
long-distance migration which "leapfrogs" over intervening languages.

Magyar, for instance, isolated on all sides by IE languages.  Or imagine that
Vandal -- the result of a migration from Poland to Tunisia, spanning about
one human lifetime -- had survived into the present, isolated from all other
Germanic languages.  Or a relict like Crimean Gothic would be in the same
position, albeit for different reasons.

I suspect Tocharian was a case somewhat like this.



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