Re: [tied] Re: House and City

From: Glen Gordon
Message: 6633
Date: 2001-03-19

Torsten, being unnecessarily stubborn, replies:
>I might begin with this:
>You put up a very good temporal argument that the similarities can't
>be caused by inheritance. You then replace "inheritance" with
>"inheritance/borrowing". You have now proved that the similarities
>can't be caused by borrowing and therefore any similarity must a
>coincidence, since tertium non datur. Or was it quartum non datur?

Torsten, let me outline this clearer in jot form:

It's very unlikely to be inheritance.
Why? The relationship is too remote in time.

It's very unlikely to be borrowing.
Why? The geographical distances are too remote.

It's therefore most likely to be coincidence.

This should be very understandable reasoning. Your reasoning however is
entirely alien to me. You appear to use Austric and Austronesian and any
Asian language starting with "A" as interchangeable. You are unconcerned
with timelines. You are unconcerned with explicitly outlining in detail what
you claim. Your theory is unfocused and vague. Purposely vague, no doubt, in
order to be disruptive and to slither out of your misguided statements with
ease, providing for ample circularity in this discussion.

>A Wanderwort is a (several times over) loan word. What you are
>saying, although you don't seem to realize it, is that I have proved
>my theory.

What WAS your theory? Outline please.

>But at least you share with them the conviction of the all-importance of a
>long-term diffusion of ideas from the Eastern >Mediterranean area [...]
>Don't you think that could form a basis for a dialogue?

Dialogue concerning what exactly? Connections between IE and the
faraway Austric languages?? You're still confusing me. Such a
dialogue seems as futile as comparing Mayan to Ket.

>>Thanx, Tor, You've helped me make an important career move.
>
>A small linguistic note: Danish, like Norwegian and German, but
>unlike Swedish, English and Dutch, does not form nicknames by
>dropping the last part of the compound name.

Oh my. The poor dear is so confused that he can't even tell the
difference between Danish and English, the latter being the current
language in use where forming nicknames by dropping the last part of
a name is extremely common.

But at any rate, tack s� mycket f�r danska lektionen, Tor. :)

- gLeN

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