--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...> wrote:
>
> Yes, yes. And the arguments?
You cannot project modern Basque words in the far prehistory and then
match them up with sparse items of the Devil only know what languages
of the remotest parts of this world! Diabole Domine, it is impossible!
Michelena and Trask reconstructed protoforms for the Basque of about
2000 years ago, finding in Aquitanian a lot of forms clearly
corresponding to their reconstruction. Their works are reliable.
For example:
Basque /mihi/ tongue < /*bini/
and this is shown by clear evidence:
there is a dialectal variant /miñ/
in compounds there is /min-/ (/mintzaira/ "language", etc...)
/ozpin/ "lightning" is /Ortzi/ + /mihi/
In many words borrowed from Latin medial /n/ is /h/ or null in modern
Basque:
/ahate/ "duck" < anatem
/ohore/ "honour < hono:rem
/liho/ "line" < li:num
/ziape/ "mustard" < sinapis
etc...
If you deny all this and match /mihi/, /liho/, /ahate/ with any kinky
Austronesian or Bantu resembling item, you look like a crackpot.
Marco