--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Tavi" <oalexandre@...> wrote:
> I'm going to give you a couple of examples:
Since nobody on the List examined these two etymological proposals so far, I'll try to do it.
> PNC *=unddzE 'to hide, to steal, to conceal' (= stands for a
> class-prefix)
> Paleo-Basque *bints (u > i by delabialization)
> Basque mintz (B, G, HN, S, R) 'membrane, film', (B) 'milk cream',
> (HN) 'wheat grain with husk', mintzi (R) 'membrane, film'
> Spanish binza, Aragonese binza, bienza 'membrane, film; peritoneum'
I don't know how you arrived at the "Proto-North Caucasian" reconstruction "*=unddzE 'to hide, to steal, to conceal' (= stands for a class-prefix)". Starostin just reconstructs an isolated Proto-Lezghian (East Caucasian) root *pinc.w- 'feather' (based on the *actually attested* Agul word pinc. 'feather' -- further glossed as 'eyelash' without any explanation -- *only*), and doesn't even attempt to reconstruct a "North Caucasian" protoform. See both at
http://tinyurl.com/bvsc9gv
and at
http://starling.rinet.ru/Texts/glossary.pdf (p. 160),
and further compare with Bengtson's Proto-Basque reconstruction *pinc-'membrane (covbering an egg or nut)' at
http://tinyurl.com/d4q6woy
The Proto-Basque reconstructions *pinc- and *pinca are based on the *actually attested* words mintz- and p(h)intz-; no "*bints-" root in sight here!
Starostin's supposed Burushaski cognates of this "Proto-North Caucasian" root, phenas and phinis 'brow, (fore-)head hair' are not semantically convincing... What has (fore-)head hair to do with membranes/eyelashes, or with feathers?
> PNC *bo:nddz(w)V 'a k. of vessel'
> Paleo-Basque *bontsi
> Basque ontzi 'ship', (B, G, HN, S, R) 'vessel', untzi (Bazt, L, LN,
> Z)> 'ship; vessel', (L, LN) 'stomach', unzi (LN) 'ship'
See at
http://starling.rinet.ru/Texts/glossary.pdf (p. 16)
It is astonishing for me to see how Starostin arrives at this protoform: check out the *actually attested* forms (only Northeast Caucasian ones) at
http://tinyurl.com/cvkyd4p
Starostin himself comments that this "Proto-North Caucasian" root is "not very reliable".
Moreover, both Starostin and Bengtson reconstruct Proto-Basque *onci 'vessel; ship', not your "Paleo-Basque *bontsi".
In priciple, I don't oppose the hypothesis of a Macro-Caucasian super-phylum (Basque plus Northwest Caucasian plus Northeast Caucasian plus Burushaski), possibly including Yenisseian and Na-Dene too (though I have strong doubts on the inclusion of Tibeto-Burman or "Sino-Tibetan" in it), yet etymologies like the ones I have commented on above make me doubt the entire construction!
Regards,
Francesco