LL-L "Etymology" 2002.07.24 (08) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 24.JUL.2002 (08) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: erek gass <egass at caribline.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2002.07.24 (03) [E]

I'm not quite sure how this discussion group got off into Finnish.  I do
believe we should note that Finnish (and its sister languages and
peoples, Estonian and the now near extinct but we hope reviving
Livonian) have had a LONG contact and co-habitation with their IE
neighbours and it shews.  I'm working from memory here in the office
(that is, I don't have the benefit my dictionaries as easy references),
but, to cite an example (one of many) the Swedish word "strand" (=
English "shore") appears in Finnish as "ranta" (which conforms to
Finnish phonological rules).  Before overpresuming some proto-everything
language, it may behoove us to compare Finnish to more isolated members
of the same UA grouping and see if they are some path to this
hypothetical prehistoric never-to-be-heard proto-master tongue.

Yes, I'm a little skeptical.  Although I regard biolgical evolution of
all modern men from common ancestry, I'm less certain that wse get all
of our languages happily back to some prehistoric grunt system which
gave rise to all of today's languages.  Even if true, how will anyone
EVER be able to prove such.  It will certainly take more than Finnish
cognates to convince me.

Am I the only doubter or skeptic here?

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language varieties

Erek,

> Am I the only doubter or skeptic here?

Whatever gave you the impression you could be?  Firstly, people have
already expressed skepticism, and secondly, I think most people are or
ought to be skeptical and ought to expect at least some evidence when it
comes to things like that -- at least outside the two minority camps of
total believers and eternal naysayers.

I don't think this is really a question of "either or" but of degree.
Personally, I think that reconstructing some globally common ancestral
language, if there ever was one, is impossible, certainly impossible
with today's means.  However, I am open to the possibility of earlier
connections between certain language families as they are recognized
today (and only came to be recognized after long struggles).  These
possibilities won't be explored if we close our minds to these
possibilities and boo the Illich-Svityches of this world off the stage
from the get-go.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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