From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 52421
Date: 2008-02-07
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick McCallister" <gabaroo6958@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 12:00 AM
Subject: Re: [tied] Languages Evolve in Punctuational Bursts
> So why are native Japanese words a minority of the
> language? Your argument doesn't work.
> Regarding the Inuit language and the Australian
> languages in question, they are supposedly very
> isolated. Someone gave this example years ago either
> on the old IE list or the old Nostratics list.
> Among IE languages, Lithuanian is usually touted as
> the most conservative yet Lithuania has a long history
> of invasion and repression by its neighbors who in
> turn tried to impose Polish, Russian and German upon
> the population in areas they controlled. Latvian,
> spoken next door, has a similar history, yet has
> evolved more.
>
> --- Patrick Ryan <proto-language@...> wrote:
***
What is your source for the statement that native Japanese words are a
minority of the language?
Supposedly? You must be joking! They have lost most of their native culture
and live off the beneficence of the non-native majority.
The Lithuanians have maintained ethnic continuity - that can trump many
X-ification efforts.
Patrick