Re: [tied] The Dravidian Salesman

The presence of thick rich substrate layers in Indo-Aryan demonstrates that Old Indo-Aryan engulfed and absorbed a number of other languages, whatever the mechanism of assimilation. Don't underestimate the steppe peoples' organisational skills and cultural sophistication (which need not have been inferior to that of "civilised" city-builders, though the latter's archaeological monuments are surely more impressive). In a matter of decades, the Huns built a multiethnic "state" extending from the Caucasus to the Rhine; the Byzantine Empire had to pay a tribute to Attila, and Ostrogothic and Gepidic leaders were his lieutenants. And who the heck was Attila? who were the Huns? -- a "lost tribe" from the eastern steppes. That particular experiment misfired eventually, so we eastern Europeans don't speak Hunnish today, but think of other lost tribes, such as the Khazars, the Mongols, the Magyars and the Turks.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: vijinuk

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, April 05, 2002 12:31 PM

Subject: Re: [tied] The Dravidian Salesman

The latest buzzword used by some Indologists to explain the spread of vedic Sanskrit into Dravidian/Munda/Language-X (one is not completely sure of that even) speakers is Ehret's 'elite kit' and not economic dominance. Of course 'Elite kit' comes close to prestige effect. In this scenario, it is not due to mere commercial transactions, but the elite of the non-aryan speakers "going aryan" wholesale, not just for language, but in a whole range of cultural, spiritual and technological matters. Once the elite get aryanised -not just linguistically-, it quickly spreads among the non-elite non-aryans. Who were these aryans whom others were so eagar to imitate; it was a 'lost tribe' from the wilds of Afghanistan who lost their way and stayed on in India speaking RV sanskrit There are lots of holes in this theory and there are many historical counter-examples.