Re: Divergence vs. convergence (was: Witzel and Sautsutras)

At 2:45:01 AM on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, Tavi wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott"
> <bm.brian@...> wrote:

>>> In my view, there's no need for this "Early PIE" to be the
>>> ancestor of "Late PIE".

>> Thereby ignoring the overwhelming amount of linguistic
>> evidence supporting that view.

> As you've already made your mind,

No, the evidence with which I'm familiar did that for me.
You, on the other hand, appear to share with Shivraj a habit
of ignoring anything that doesn't fit your preconceived
notions, though yours are certainly very different from his.

> you spare myself from trying to convince you. My time is
> too valuable to waste it with fruitless discussions.

Your time is also apparently too valuable to waste providing
evidence for your opinions, which is why no one takes them
seriously. Considering how much time you waste spouting
them in the first place, it's really quite remarkable how
unwilling you are to support them; why, one might almost
think that you couldn't.

>>>> A characteristically Tavi-esque non-answer, throwing
>>>> around a lot of terminology without actually saying
>>>> anything concrete. I believe that Jörg has had some
>>>> experience of them in the past on the Zompist board, so
>>>> it probably won't come as any surprise.

>>> A nasty Brian-esque "ad hominem" attack.

>> Apparently you don't know what 'ad hominem' means -- unless,
>> of course, the scare quotes are an indication that you're
>> using the term in some non-standard sense.

>> That's an accurate description of your posts. If you don't
>> like it, blame your own incompetence and your insistence on
>> putting that incompetence on display.

> Speaking in sporting terms, you're an unworthy opponent.

In order to be an opponent, I'd have to take your
pronouncements seriously, and I don't: you've never made a
case for one of them. I suspect that you honestly believe
that you have, which is rather sad but beside the point.