Re: Paleoasiatic (was: Favourite Language Group?)

On Fri, 06 Sep 2002 07:01, Pavel Iosad wrote:
> Hello,
>
> > >- Paleoasiatic
> >
> > What's this?
>
> Citing Volodin A. P. Introduction // Languages of the World.
> Paleoasiatic languages. Moscow: Indrik, 1997
>
> Paleoasiatic (or PaleoSiberian) languages are a conventional entity of
> several genetically unrelated languages and small language groups,
> united on geographical principles. The term belongs to L. I. Shrenk, who
> in mid-19th century offered the hypothesis that the Paleoasatic peoples,
> as a result of the expansion of the Altaic peoples (Turks, Mongols,
> Tungus-Manchu peoples), were partly assimilated by the newcomers and
> partly confined to the northern and northeastern fringes of Asia and
> into North America. [...] the following languages are usually classified
> as Paleoasiatic: Chukchi-Kamchatkan, Eskimo-Aleut, Yenissean, as well as
> the genetically isolated Yukaghir and Nivkh [...]
And the question always on the tip of my tongue is, where (and how) can I get
information on these - necessarily - fascinating languages?  In English,
since I don't know any Russian as yest.

It took me ages to get some information on Georgian, owing to a certain
closure of channels between Russia and the rest of the world at a certain
stage in history - I once wrote to the then Soviet Embassy in Wellington
asking for information about Georgian and Armenian and got an Armenian
tourist brochure back ;)  It had no info on Radio Armenia, though - boo hoo
hoo! ;)

(I'll even sleep with Cinderella's ugly sisters, to get that info!  I'm that
desperate! <;^)

Wesley Parish

>
> Pavel
--
Mau e ki, "He aha te mea nui?"
You ask, "What is the most important thing?"
Maku e ki, "He tangata, he tangata, he tangata."
I reply, "It is people, it is people, it is people."

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