Re: Bactrian camel

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Rick McCallister <gabaroo6958@...>
wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Francesco Brighenti" <frabrig@>
> wrote:
> >
> > "...Thus, the Akkadian word for the Bactrian camel, which should
> > be reconstructed as ut.r-, probably goes back [...] to a proto-
> > Dardic form such as *uhtra:-/*us.tra:-" (I.M. Diakonoff, "Pre-
> > Median Indo-Iranian Tribes in Northern Iran", _Bulletin of the
> > Asia Institute -- Bloomsfield Hills_, N.S., Vol. 10 [1996],
> > pp. 12-13).
>
> Could it have been introduced to the region via the Indo-Aryans
> associated with the Mitanni?

That is exactly what Diakonoff concludes in the closing part of the
article cited. As is clear from the above quote, his theory about the
nature of the so-called Mittani Indo-Aryan superstrate/adstrate
slightly differs from the standard one (which posits that such
superstrate/adstrate represents a form of Indo-Aryan anterior to the
R.gvedic one); indeed, Diakonoff's theory, which is also expounded in
other articles of his, is that Mittani IA was a form of "Proto-
Dardic", whatever this linguistic label may have signified to him.
However, Dardic is a sub-group of IA, and is not supposed to
represent an independent branch of IIr. like Nuristani.

Regards,
Francesco