SV: SV: Paired Horse and PIE breakup

Paul Kekai Manansala kekai at JPS.NET
Mon Nov 9 02:14:29 UTC 1998


Miguel Carrasquer Vidal wrote:
>
> Paul Kekai Manansala <kekai at JPS.NET> wrote:
>
> >Greenberg broke apart many of the old genetic language classifications
> >that existed before while sparing sacred Indo-European.
>
> Such as?  The only language groups Greenberg ever broke up, in his
> work on African languages, were the then current "Negro" and
> "Hamitic" ones, precisely because these were not based on any kind of
> linguistic relationships at all, but merely on racial criteria.

There was never any such racial criteria for the older classification of
languages. In fact, it was more racially neutral than the current
classification.  For example, Cushitic languages were grouped together
with Semitic ones.  Now they are separated.

>
> >However, recently he is realizing that these languages are indeed
> >genetically related under the banner of Caucasoids marching out of
> >somewhere in Anatolia (Mt. Ararat?).  Thus, Uralic and Altaic, which
> >were formerly not related according to him,
>
> Greenberg saying two language groups are unrelated?  Reference!
>

Well, let's just say that the current language classification in vogue
is that accepted by Greenberg.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala





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