Ockham's Razor

[X99Lynx at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/25/2001 12:21:29 AM, JoatSimeon at aol.com writes:
<< -- so far, you have not presented any facts supporting the hypothesis that
the word for "red deer" somehow meant "fallow deer" or "deer in general" in
remote antiquity. >>

So far, you have presented no facts that show any distinction between the two
types of deer in early IE languages.

Supporting a possible Anatolian origin for IE languages, you have provided no
distinction between the two deer types in Anatolian languages.

The earliest distinction I am aware of in IE languages is possibly Roman and
apparently refers to the semi-domestication of the fallow.  You've shown
nothing that indicates that we have any way of knowing how *PIE speakers
distinguished between the two types of deer.

The most apparent solution is that there was no distinction between the two
deer types in *PIE.

<<Elaphos", red deer, specifically; "ellos" and "enelos", young of the red
deer, fawn.>>

Show me specifically in any Classical Greek texts where the distinction is
made between red deer and fallow deer.

If you cannot, then I think it is reasonable to conclude that this whole
fallow deer thing has nothing to do with history or IE origins.  Upon close
examination, this seems to be the way most of these paleolinguistic arguments
for an IE homeland go.

Regards,
Steve Long