Re: [tied] Gulf of Khambat Cultural Complex 1

----- Original Message -----
From: <kalyan97@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 2:09 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] Gulf of Khambat Cultural Complex 1


>> I think everyone agrees that Finno-Ugric borrowed extensively from early Iranian and probably from Common Indo-Iranian, but if anything, this supports the traditional scenario of an Indo-Iranian homeland in the Eurasian steppe zone.

> No, not everyone. There are linguists who hold different views.
>
> See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/18898

The only person there who has problems with the standard model of Indo-Iranian/Finno-Ugric interactions is Misra, and his amazing way of dealing with those problems (sending a hypothetical group of Indo-Iranians [followed by the Iranians] out of India just in oreder to account for the Indo-Iranian imfluence on Finno-Ugric) only emphasises the fundamental weakness of his ideas -- an Indian homeland turns out to be very inconveniently located when it comes to explaining things outside India :-)

> What is wrong with a review of Graham Hancock's book?

It isn't a review. Hancock is cited there as a source of scholarly ideas. Well, Hancock is a popular writer, and as much a scholar as Erich von Däniken is. Equally reliable, too (though of course both are best-selling authors). Now if a scholar dignifies Hancock's pseudoscientific quackery by citing him uncritically in a "peer-reviewed" scientific journal, there's cause for concern.

> You are entitled to your views, so is BP Radhakrishna entitled to his.

Oh, certainly. He may even believe in alien abductions, as far as I'm concerned. After Hancock it wouldn't make much difference. I'm merely surprised that an ostensibly serious scientist should cite blatant pseudoscience.

> Differing views cannot be hammered down as motivated without going
through the journal and the editorial in full. Don't go by my
excerpts alone. Maybe, I am prejudiced too according your yardstick.

The abstract and the excerpt are quite informative. I think I already know what to expect: nothing new, and nothing that hasn't been discussed here.

Piotr