Re: Witzel and Sautsutras (was: Mapping the Origins and Expansion of

What are the boundries of retroflexed consonants in and around the Indian Subcontinent? My understanding is that Pashto picked them up. Wiki says Baluchi did. Any languages north of the Himalayas?

How far north and west does Dravidian substrate extend. I read in Wiki that it's strong in Sindhi. Does it exist in Baluchi, Panjabi, Pashto, etc.?

I realize that Baluchi is a newcomer, c. 1000 CE, right? What was spoken there before?

From: shivkhokra <shivkhokra@...>
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2012 3:00 PM
Subject: [tied] Re: Witzel and Sautsutras (was: Mapping the Origins and Expansion of...)

--- In mailto:cybalist%40yahoogroups.com, Rick McCallister <gabaroo6958@...> wrote:
[..]
> Among items that I offered, Shiv doesn't tell why retroflexed consonant sets do not show up in IE languages that are not from the subcontinent.
>

For the same reason:
a) That British after living in India for many years did not pick up retroflex consonants. See the hindi spelling of Pune where the n is retroflex and contrast it with how british wrote it.

b) That people in south east asia (thailand/burma/cambodia etc) who were taught religious texts both in Sanskrit and Pali did not pick up retroflex consonants.

c) And most importantly the Gypsies who migrated out of India lost their retroflex consonants once they got to Europe.

d) Lastly do retroflex stops in Swedish and Norwegian count?

Regards,
Shivraj

[Excess quoted matter deleted. -BMS]