About forcing a language on someone

[Patrick C. Ryan]

Dear Eric and IEists:

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Plourde Eric" <plourer at MAGELLAN.UMontreal.CA>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2000 5:14 AM

<snip>

[EP]

> PIE was probably never a unified, unique language, sure, there is nothing
> provocative about that hypothesis. But the people who used the IE langages
> were probably very violent and bloodthirsty people who imposed their culture
> (and languages) on the others.

[PR]

To characterize IE-speakers as "very violent and bloodthirsty" implies that
they can legitimately be contrasted with speakers of other languages who
were *only* violent, or even less violent.

I frankly think this is an entirely unwarranted assumption. I know of no
people in history (let alone, pre-history) that has not, when the occasion
presented itself, acted ruthlessly, violently, and bloodthirstily.

I believe your characterization smacks of the dubious theories of the late
Lithuanian feminist Gimbutas, and has more psychological than archaeological
content.

[EP]

> How else would they have spread so quickly? How Scythians and the Germanic
> tribes were depicted? In the war between Sparta and Athens, who won? The city
> of belligerance and cruelty or the city of democracy and tolerance? You know
> the answers.

[PR]

I would think that anyone who has been participating in the discussion on
this list might be able to think of a number of scenarios in which a
language might spread quickly in addition to a pre-historic Kulturkampf.

By the way, you may characterize Athens as the city of democracy if you
wish. I would characterize it as the city of moral, ethical, and financial
corruption.

Pat

PATRICK C. RYAN | PROTO-LANGUAGE at email.msn.com (501) 227-9947 * 9115 W. 34th
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