Re: Odp: Odp: Cowboys on Horseback

It would take some explaining, but it is quite obvious to me that the nature of Balto-Slavic/Aryan similarities guarantees their genetic character (e.g. common phonological developments like the so-called RUKI rule), while the similarities between Germanic and Balto-Slavic (mostly lexical, in a few cases morphological) are more likely to be due to areal convergence. Germanic is not CLOSELY related to Italo-Celtic. Under my scenario, the two groups would have had about 4000 years of independent development behind them at the time of their first historical attestation.

 

MV: what is the RUKI rule?

 

(In my scenario (beaker peoples = western branch of PIE, ie, Balto-Slavic, Germanic, Celto-Italic), Balto-Slavic could remain in contact with the Pontic "homeland" and undergo common developments with those who still lived there; and the splitting times between Balto-Slavic and Germanic and Celto-Italic would be ca.2900 BC (Sherrat). Germanic probably underwent most substrate influences.)

 

Marc