Re: Re[2]: [tied] PIE word for "people"

----- Original Message -----
From: "Grzegorz Jagodzinski" <grzegorj2000@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 10:47 AM
Subject: Re: Re[2]: [tied] PIE word for "people"


> Brian M. Scott wrote:
> > At 9:07:13 AM on Sunday, September 25, 2005, Grzegorz
> > Jagodzinski wrote:
> >
> >> Patrick Ryan wrote:
> >
> >>> Obviously, Sante Fe has crummy Sanskrit resources.
> >
> >> Santa Fe?
> >
> > I believe that Patrick is referring to the Evolution of
> > Human Languages project coordinated by the Santa Fe
> > Institute; it has a web site at
> > <http://ehl.santafe.edu/intro1.htm>, where you'll find a
> > link to an extensive set of etymological databases.
> >
> > Brian
>
> :-)
>
> The fact is that I did not even think about it bacause I used a printed
> Sanskrit dictionary, Sanskritsko-Russkij Slovar' by V. A. Koc^ergina. It
> is
> a quite good dictionary of 30,000 Sanskrit words. Indeed, it does not
> contain many rare words and meanings. But if a meaning of a given word is
> rare and obviously secondary, should it be taken into consideration in
> etymology? Really, it looks like if someone tries to prove that IE **negr-
> meant "people" by comparing Latin Nero: (cf. sound changes in Rom vs.
> ra:ma), Italian nero 'black' and negro 'black', 'Negro', so 'a name of a
> people'.
>
> Grzegorz J.

***
Patrick:

I did not realize that Starostin had affiliated with Santa Fe. I withdraw my
inappropriate remarks concerning it. Although the work at Starostin's
website is uneven, at least he is making an effort to bring us data which
would otherwise be difficult to obtain.

I do think that to characterize a rare word as secondary simply because it
is rare (and hence, unworthy of consideration) is completely unjustified,
and smacks of argumentative desperation. The vagaries of survival negate
such unfounded generalizations.

With pre-PIE *maH, which is secondary: 'mother' or 'breast', or
'nurse/nursing'?

As for **negr-, which is not a recognized PIE root, the argument is totally
without merit or relevance.

***