Re: Saussure’s idea of language (Lehman 1991).

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "mkelkar2003" <swatimkelkar@...> wrote:

> "... It follows that the pairs of
> any culturally determined binary opposition define themselves in
> relation to one another (Lehman 1991, p. 94)."
> Thus the internal consistency of Rig Veda does not matter to
> comparative linguists. Word like ratha and chakra can be pulled out
> and compared in isolation with objects found thousand of miles away in
> completely different contexts.

Most concrete nouns are rather simple to compare. You only have to go
back to the context when trying to work out whether a word glossed as
'dog' includes wolves. And that is a problem in some long range
comparison. Limbs and limb parts are another problem area.

Richard.