I respectfully disagree with you Glen.  Alekseev claimed that Etruscan was located in Italy.  Here's a link which addresses this question:
 
http://www.netaxs.com/~salvucci/VTLfacts.html
 

As concerns your placement of Etruscan in the Ukraine, I think more analysis needs to given so that any twinge of "nationalism" can be eliminated. 

At the same time, the state of crisis in Ukraine facilitated the establishment of extreme nationalist organizations. Before 1992 these groups resorted to antisemitism only sporadically, but since that time it has been increasingly exploited as an ideological tool for expressing opposition to democracy —traditionally identified with the West and with Jews. The extremists seek to establish a Ukrainian ethnocracy (natsiokratiia), modeled on the formerly fascist regimes of Germany and Italy. In the footsteps of both “old” and “new” rightists in Russia and the West, the Ukrainian extreme nationalists have created their own version of the Aryan myth in which the Ukrainian nation is seen as the “progenitor of the Indo-European race.” Its destiny is to become a superpower that will lead the Aryan world in fighting the forces of evil and destruction, behind which hide the Jews bent on world domination.

Extreme nationalist organizations comprise a growing segment of the political spectrum in Ukraine today, though still of little significance. The extent of their impact will depend on the degree of future destabilization of society as a result of social, economic, and political considerations, as well as other developments in the post-Communist world. 
  

Are you by chance promoting a Ukranian version of the Aryan myth?

As far as which books are proper and which are not, I do know that in the art world (of which Massimo Pallotino is a participant) there is intrigue, stealth, deception and death whenever priceless artifacts are the center of international attention.  The same applies to which  books are proper.  As far as whether the Etruscan language has been deciphered, a few words does not a language make.

Gerry

 


 

----- Original Message -----
From: Glen Gordon
To: nostratic@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2001 11:04 PM
Subject: Re: [nostratic] And finally...

Simply put, Etruscan has as many connections with HurroUrartian
as it does with Swahili. This EtruscoCaucasic connection rests
solely on Herodotus and his derivation of the Etruscans from Asia
Minor, not on competent linguistic considerations. To add,
HurroUrartian was hardly the only language in that bustling area.
Not surprisingly, we also see Etruscan-Anatolian connections,
because many people have trouble with the concept that Tyrrhenian
could be yet another language family within the diverse
Mediterranean mosaic.

As I continue to state, languages must be compared according to
_systems_ (eg: sound correspondances, paradigms, etc) rather than
simply according to isolated words or affixes in higgledee-piggledee
fashion. It's not enough to just site superficial resemblances if
you don't understand what solid rules (eg: sound rules, grammatical
rules) these connections ultimately imply.

If one refuses to heed these above words, we end up with complete
lunacy on the subject. The following makes Etruscan an Italic
language...

   http://www.maravot.com/Etruscan_Phrases1.html

But clearly this is false because we all know that Etruscan
is more related to Ukrainian...

   http://sicsa.huji.ac.il/14liud.html

Apparently, "Etruscans (Rusiny) were an ancient Ukrainian tribe which moved
from the Carpathian Mountains and Galicia into northern Italy 1,300 years
B.C". Yes, this must surely make sense >:P

Sufficed to say, unless one endeavours to propose deeper, more
educated theories, these Etruscan-EveryLanguageUnderTheSun word
games are a time-wasting and confusing exercise. Stop the insanity,
Gerry, and start reading proper books on Etruscan.

>BTW, could you perhaps cite a few references for translations of >Etruscan
>texts?

There are plenty of sites on the net that you can find under your
favourite search engine. Also, Massimo Pallotino is a good name in
Etruscan linguistics that you should be able to find at your local
library. He sites Etruscan phrases and translations in his book
aptly named "The Etruscans". You must have come across it.