Re: [NATLANG] Q Re: The Finno-Celtic Conspiracy

David Peterson scripsit:

> The basic premise of the website is that Finnish and Irish are
> distantly related.  They have a bunch of examples (2,650, to be
> exact), and some of them seem plausible.  I was wondering if anybody
> had heard of this, and if anyone could comment on the validity (i.e.,
> is this something where an argument could be made, or is it purely
> Greenbergian speculation).
Even Greenberg wouldn't be able to swallow this camel.  I didn't get
past the number comparisons:  anyone who can, after presenting a speculative
but reasonable-looking chart of equivalents (consonants only, vowels are
disregarded on the grounds that "they often differ between families" (!)),
simply equate _kuusi_ 'six' with _seisar_ 'six' without further comment
is slightly askew.  When we move on to seven (a transparent borrowing
from IE into Finnish), eight (transparently "two less than ten", where
"ten" is an IE form, not the actual Finnish word for ten), nine (ditto,
"one less than ten", and 100 (another transparent borrowing, this time
from Eastern IE), without any recognition of these facts of borrowing,
I had no trouble tossing out the rest.

--
John Cowan        http://www.ccil.org/~cowan          jcowan@reutershealth.com
Please leave your values                Check your assumptions.  In fact,
   at the front desk.                      check your assumptions at the door.
     --sign in Paris hotel                   --Cordelia Vorkosigan

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