In a message dated 28/02/01 07:48:30 GMT Standard Time,
glengordon01@... writes:
> I totally agree. I accept Nostratic as part of the Dene-Caucasian language
> family. I personally position it between NigerKordofanian and BuruYen
> (Burushaski & Yeneseian) as part of the "S-Group" branch of DeneCaucasian.
> SinoDene would be the easternmost S-Group language, giving birth to NWC,
> SinoTibetan and NaDene. The other DC branch, the "T-Group", is
VascoCaucasic
>
> - Basque, NEC and HurroUrartian. To be honest, I'm not read up on how
others
>
> classify these DC languages but then again, it's all entirely theoretical
> and tentative anyway.
I am interested in your rejection of the idea that NWC and HU/NEC are
directly genetically related. Have you done any work demolishing Starostin's
reconstruction of PNC, which seems to be a key building block in the DC
theory?
I personally think there is a problem even with the assumption that PEC is a
totally genetic family. Of course the majority of native Nakh grammar and
vocabulary have obvious cognates in Daghestanian with clear and regular sound
laws. But there is a big chunk that just doesn't fit. In my opinion this
could be the same substrate that contributes the 'exotic' bits of Etruscan,
i.e. the bits that aren't transparently recent borrowings from IE. HU fits in
here somewhere but I'm not sure how just yet.
Ed. Robertson