----- Özgün İleti -----
Kimden: Mnewbroo@...
Kime: historical_linguistics@yahoogroups.com
Gönderme tarihi: Monday, August 04, 2003 4:03 PM
Konu: Re: [historical_linguistics] Digest Number 31

Re Edo Nyland

I have examined Nyland's material and I know of other linguists who have done
so.  We are agreed that the linguistic and historical evidence in support of
his view is quite inadequate, and indeed that that if one proceeds as he does
this is virtually certain to be the case: on such a basis it is not difficult
to 'discover' etymologies of the kind that one prefers, as the work of Polat
Kaya, John White and others also shows.  We would also regard the historical
scenario which Nyland envisages - rather like the one envisaged by Polat Kaya -
as implausible.  I do not doubt his sincerity, and he does know more about
historical linguistics than most such authors; but he adopts some strange
interpretations of mainstream opinions, and his own claims will not be accepted on
the basis of what he has written so far.  I was unable to access the sites
referred to, but I would be interested (albeit surprised) to see a positive review
of Nyland's work by anyone skilled in linguistics.  (But it is helpful and
welcome that he acknowledges here that his ideas are rejected by most scholars,
while attributing this rejection - in my view quite wrongly - to unworthy
motives.)

Mark Newbrook