Re: Universal Roots

--- In Nostratica@yahoogroups.com, "Gerry <waluk@...>" <waluk@...>
wrote:

> > From your suggested words' including 'god', I can only assume you
> > meant meanings rather than roots. The word for 'god' shows a

good

> > deal of variation in European languages; one scholar once named

the

> > European IE families by their word for 'god'! However, I doubt
> that
> > it's a universal concept. It doesn't appear on the Swadesh 100-

or

> > 200-word lists.

> Possibly one reason the word 'god' doesn't appear on the Swadesh

word

> lists is because of social and political reasons i.e. scientists
> today consider themselves atheists and anyone who is a non-atheist

is

> automatically given the label "creationist". Creationists are
> automatically pooh-poohed as non-scientists. Do you by chance have
> access to a World language list that "might" include meanings for

the

> term "god"?

It did occur to me that Swadesh being a Marxist might have some
relevance, but I decided not. But do animists have gods? Do the
sprits they reverence deserve to be called gods? How do you classify
the djinn?

I don't have access to a list of translations. You might find
something on the bible society sites.

Richard.