Re: [tied] Re: Oesysla/Eysysla etc.

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 5977
Date: 2001-02-08

 
----- Original Message -----
From: tgpedersen@...
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 12:42 PM
Subject: [tied] Re: Oesysla/Eysysla etc.

> Let me see if I understand you correctly.
> We have an unattested language *A, from which are descended languages B1, B2, and B3. A certain root occurs in B1, but not in B2 and B3.
> Therefore it did not occur in *A. Is this what you mean?
 
Precisely. That's what we assume in science, unless there is some evidence to the contrary (e.g. the existence of the word in a related outgroup). Occam's Razor, or the principle of parsimony.


>>... a name more logical from the point of view of the Finnic natives, for whom it has always been "The Island".
 
> Really? And what was Hiamaa then to them?
 
I don't know what the Hiiu- in Hiiumaa means, my knowledge of historical Estonian is limited. If there are any Baltic Finnic experts or Estonian-speakers among our members, maybe they can help. But Saaremaa is *the* major island in those parts, more than twice as big as Hiiumaa.

Piotr