[tied] Is Sumerian an Isolate? was: Re: Attention: John Croft

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski
<piotr.gasiorowski@...> wrote:

>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Gerry
> To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2003 3:51 PM
> Subject: [tied] Is Sumerian an Isolate? was: Re: Attention: John

Croft

>
>
> > Since I cannot reach John Croft, does anyone know the status of

Sumerian?

> Piotr? Is it an isolate?
>
> Yes, in the sense that any of its proposed external relationships

remain

> uncertain and purely hypothetical. It has no close cousins among

the known

> languages.
>
> Piotr

Thank you Piotr. Your answer conjures up two further points:
1) are there other language isolates?
2) has anyone offered any explanations (wild or otherwise) for there
being no "commonality" between an isolate and other language families?
IOW, could Sumer perhaps have been a "city of the gods" (or even of
the untouchables)?

Gerry