Re: Mitanni and Matsya

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@...>
wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "David Russell Watson"

<liberty@...> wrote:

>
> > > That is why I have reconstructed _the_ Proto-Language.
> >
> > Yes, of course you have, Patrick, and all by yourself moreover,
> > and every year or two Srinivasan Kalyanaraman dramatically
> > announces his latest decipherment of the Harappan script, and
> > periodically they find Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat or on some
> > other mountain (which is the _real_ Ararat of the Bible, don't
> > you know?!), or the lost city of Atlantis, or Big Foot's lair,
> > or they invent a perpetual-motion machine, or find evidence of
> > human-beings and dinosaurs walking the earth at the same time,
> > or ...
>
> I have often found that those who shout "Prejudice!" are
> usually the most prejudoced of all.

Yes, we've heard all about your findings, about gods and
stars, Nostratic and monosyllables, feminine hygiene and
lack thereof.

Although your comment doesn't follow the quote above, for
no mention of prejudice appears in it, only of crackpot
beliefs.

> You have made a prejudgment about reconstructing man's earliest
> language;

Oh here's the prejudice. As with Mithra and his syncretic
layers, you have things chronologically out of order again.

> and no amount of evidence, which I firmly believe you have not
> even cursorily inspected, will sway you.

A proper argument with proper evidence would surely sway
me, and not surprisingly I'm quite convinced of P.I.E.,
but you haven't provided anything equal for your own ideas.

> You are a Linguo-Bigot.

I'm nothing of the sort. All I am is somebody who doesn't
fall over easily for what you're trying to sell me.

> Ah, the penultimate liberal defense: whether it is true or not,
> you cannot discuss it.
>
> Bigotry lives on in Liberalism.

When has liberalism ever countenanced one doing whatever he
wanted in somebody _else's_ house?

Cybalist is a service of the privately owned company Yahoo,
who extends the right to Piotr to do what he wants with it,
which can include asking you to stay on topic, and banning
you if you don't respect that request.

You're perfectly free to try to discuss your ideas on other
lists, or start your own Yahoo group, or even several if
you wish, so nothing like a charge of censorship will fly
here, Patrick.

In fact you already have at least one list of your own, that
I know of, which sits languishing right now, its homepage at
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/PROTO-LANGUAGE .

> > Since this list is devoted to Indo-European studies, the
> > discussion of extraneous or too general topics (e.g. OTHER
> > LANGUAGE FAMILIES, THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE, LONG-RANGE
> > COMPARISON etc.) will be discouraged. There are other
> > lists where subjects like general linguistic, Nostratic
> > studies, anthropology, etc., may be discussed more profitably.
> > We assume that there is a nearly unanimous consensus among
> > the list's managers and regular posters as to what should
> > and what should not be discussed.
>
> How dare you speak for them? They are individuals, like you try
> to be.

I'm not speaking for them; I'm directly _quoting_ them.

Oh that's right: you can't access the files section and so
haven't read the list of rules for yourself.

> > While the discussion of
> > controversial issues is welcome on the list, there are certain
> > limits that we should like to be observed. In particular, we
> > will not encourage the pursuit of pseudoscience, by which we
> > understand, for example, amateurish decipherments of ancient
> > scripts, racist theories, speculation about the language spoken
> > in Atlantis or in the Garden of Eden, demonstrations that
> > Latvian and Sumerian are practically the same language, or
> > anything else that sinks below the level at which serious
> > discussion is possible.
>
> I have indulged in none of those fantasies.

No, your fantasy is an "original" one, as we've already noted.

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Ryan" <proto-language@>
wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Rick McCallister"

<gabaroo6958@...> wote:

> >
> > Can we discuss the historical linguistic research
> > paradigm? Going into a dictionary or website to copy
> > down words without adequately proving their
> > relationship or even making sure you have the earliest
> > and most accurate sample is definitely not part of any
> > valid research paradigm.
>
> Have I done that?
>
> Demonstrate it, please - if you can do it ohne Käse.

Without cheese?

David