Let me put it differently. Suppose we assume that there was Nostratic and construct this
language. Bomhard has created many such roots (also using others' works such as
Dolgopolsky, etc). What if we still see patterns in the Nostratic?

Science is the art of looking for patterns. After Nostratic is the search for patterns over?

Besides, there must have been a time in which, if there was a single language, when
this language generated new words from old words via some rules. So we should
be able to see patterns in Nostratic words.

So if we do see Nostratic, do we stop datamining?

Piotr Gasiorowski wrote:

----- Original Message -----
From: "H.M. Hubey" <hubeyh@...>
To: <Nostratica@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 5:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Nostratica] Cardinal and Ordinal Integers


> Yes, I can see that pattern. I am wondering if they did not come from "one" from another language.

No, PIE had several roots that could mean something like "one" (*h1oi- and *sem-, most obviously), which is hardly surprising, since the concept of "one" inhabits the borderland between numerals and pronouns (not to mention adjectives) and any word meaning 'single', 'alone', 'some', 'a time', etc. can sneak into the numeral system. The ordinal derives from the root *per- 'forth, forward'; the metaphor is obvious: 'first' = 'coming before the rest'. The story of "two" and "second" is similar. The semantics of the lowest numerals is extremely complex, and so the corresponding grammatical patterns are often suppletive.

> IE has two roots for fire, and two for water and I tend to think that one root is good enough for a language.

We use labels like "water" without being able to reconstruct the semantics very accurately. For example, "water (as a substance, e.g. for drinking)", "flowing ('living') water, river", etc. were not necessarily parts of the same idea to the IEs. There is no rule against having more than one word for a single vaguely defined concept.

Piotr

Piotr


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M. Hubey
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