Re: [tied] Implications of Bangani

Bangani is a Western Pahari language, closely related to a number of modern Indo-Aryan languages spoken in India, Nepal and Pakistan. No "centum language", dead or extant, has ever been discovered in those parts, but the substratal vocabulary apparently borrowed from a centum language and preserved in Bangani looks interesting. As H.H. Hock points out, both Tocharian and Greek can be ruled out as its sources, so the tantalising possibility remains that there were once upon a time other "lost tribes" speaking non-Satem varieties of IE. The regrettable "Bangani scandal" has done a lot of harm by forcing competent Indologists to take sides and making it virtually impossible for them to examine the evidence dispassionately, but I am sure field researchers will carry on with their work when the dust has settled.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: michael_donne

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2002 10:43 AM

Subject: Re: [tied] Implications of Bangani

> I have no opinion on (pre-)Bangani (Bangani itself is mostly a satem, > Neo-Indo-Aryan language: the controversy is about a number of > centum-like words in Bangani Thanks for the clarification. Is there any idea where it may have come from? Is it related to most of the other modern Indian languages? > it would be very interesting, but perhaps > "profound implications" is too strong. Hehe, well there was lots of strong language on the site (see below) where I read about it, so I guess I caught their enthusiasm. " From: rmccalli@... (Rick Mc Callister) You've either come upon the "Olduvai George" of historical linguistics or its "Piltdown Man". " "http://iias.leidenuniv.nl/host/himalaya/individ/enigma.html The Bangani Enigma not only demanded a revision of prehistory, the reported phenomena also defied just about everything that was held to be received knowledge in historical linguistics....The startling findings have overthrown the various theories which had been advanced to account for these mysterious phenomena in the western Himalayas." As you may have noticed, questions about Centum/Satem have caught my fancy right now.