Me:
>>Thesan... dunno. It appears native. Note the -an suffix that >>appears all
>>over the place (Sethl-an-s, Tur-an)
Ed Robertson:
>This word may have a Caucasian connection. The usual translation is
> >Aurora, dawn, morning. If we accept the analogy aurum/aurora, there >is a
>remarkable similarity to the Nakh word for gold, deshi. Funnily >enough,
>Theseus, or These in Etruscan, was searching for the *golden* >fleece.
Only one problem. Etruscan is in no way related to NorthEast Caucasian and
this view is not supported by most linguists (or books at your local
library). This dying theory has been entertained by the lunatic fringe with
no success of winning the hearts of the mainstream because it entirely lacks
proof. I know about Nakh grammar and I know about Etruscan grammar. They are
totally different languages without any grammatical, phonological or
vocabulary similarities whatsoever. With such low criteria, one may as well
relate Etruscan to Nama and Aleutian too. Your method is kind of like
filling in the blanks of a crossword puzzle randomly until complete and
deriving satisfaction from it for a job well done. I derive satisfaction
from finding the truth no matter how violently it may burst my linguistic
bubble.
>Tin, Etruscan for Zeus and 'day', reminiscent of Nakh den 'day'.
...And it doesn't occur to you that the Russian word for day is /den'/? In
fact, this is a common form for all BaltoSlavic languages. BaltoSlavic
languages are related to the IndoIranian languages where Sanskrit "day" is
/dina/. Why, surely Nakh, lying so close to Russian could in no way obtain
loans from it, right?! I invite you to eat my wrathful irony. Close, but no
cigar, kid. Here's a link for ya:
http://www.angelfire.com/vt/kuzy/1dictionary.html
Next time you find Nakh connections, be kind to the List and do your
homework by screening the words through Russian to make sure they aren't
loans from the IndoEuropean family, the family that Etruscan is SERIOUSLY
connected with. You might also want to read competent works on Etruscan and
its origins. These books will typically mention a possible IE relationship
and will mock the pitiful attempts at relating it to NEC. Have you checked
out some books from Massimo Pallotino (I hope I spelled his name right...
Crazy Italian names!...)
- gLeN
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