--- In cybalist@..., "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...> wrote:
> What words _are_ diagnostic, I wonder? The danger of circular
argumenation is always there, as groups migrating out of the range of
X (X = beech, birch, salmon, lion, eel or whatever)
Talking of birch, there are three woods mentioned in the R.gveda in
specific contexts of parts of ratha:
s'almali, sim.s'apa and perhaps also arat.u and khadira used to make
ratha (chariot?) wheels and axles.
Can these be explained with cognates from IE?
Some correspondences from Indian languages:
sal = shorea robusta (Santali.lex.)
sisu = dalbergia (Santali.lex.)
arat.va made of the Arat.u tree; name of a man (R.gveda. viii.46.27);
arad.u, arat.u the tree colosanthes indica (Atharva Veda. xx.131.15)(
khayar = acacia catechu (Santali.lex.)