--- In Nostratica@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Wordingham"
<richard.wordingham@...> wrote:

> --- In Nostratica@yahoogroups.com, "Peter P" <no1@...> wrote:
> >
> > My first instinct was to post a simple message thanking Miguel

for

> a
> > providing another ray of enlightenment into the abyss. His post
> (s)
> > are informational *and* 'on topic', unlike perhaps some others.
> >
> > Just to make sure that I understand the list's purpose I went and
> > reread the home page, which states, "This moderated newsgroup is

a

> > relocation of the original unmoderated Nostratic list. In
> addition
> > to discussing matters of reconstructing the Nostratic Proto-
> language
> > and the historical languages of the Nostratic macrofamily,
> Nostratica
> > will cross disciplines and culturel boundaries and explore
> > similarities between origins of language and origins of species."
> >
> > Now I realize that perhaps my comment about being 'on topic' may
> not
> > be totally justified.
> >
> > I wonder. What does, "Nostratica will cross disciplines and
> culturel
> > boundaries and explore similarities between origins of language
> and
> > origins of species" actually mean?
>
> It's an embarassment Gerry sneaked in when we were setting up the
> group. Nobody else was keen to shoulder the burden of moderating
> the group - the reserve moderators are only likely to step in if
> Gerry ceases to shoulder the administrative burden.
>
> Strictly speaking, the origin of Sumerian _is_ on topic.
>
> Richard.

Actually I didn't sneak in. I was asked if I wished to moderate this
list and reluctantly I accepted. The format for "origins of
language" is likely based on the same classifications that have been
used for the past century and a half to define "origins of species".
Since Darwin's origins are undergoing a facelift, it would appear
that the same thing should occur within the linguistics field.

Gerry