----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 1:16
PM
Subject: Re: [Nostratica]
Proto-Celtic
> Is Proto-Celtic and Nostratic one and the same?
'Course
not. Proto-Celtic is the common ancestor of the Celtic languages (a subset of
IE). Proto-Celtic was one of the descendants of PIE, which in turn was
possibly derived from Proto-Nostratic. If the Nostratic hypothesis is correct,
Proto-Nostratic is a distant ancestor of Proto-Celtic, older by several
thousand years.
> If not, is there another term by which
Proto-Celtic is known?
Some folks use the spelling (Proto-)Keltic for
their own private satisfaction; there are no alternative English names in
current use.
> IOW, what language did a Proto-Celt
speak?
Proto-Celtic, ex
definitione.
Piotr