Re: Language reconstruction question

Christophe Grandsire scripsit:

> Indeed. The further back in time you go, the less sure of it you get. Getting
> anything older than PIE (and PIE is not that well known) is pure speculation.
> The method just doesn't allow it.
As Alexis Manaster-Ramer pointed out ten years ago or so, there is simply
no evidence at all for this claim -- it is something that historical
linguists, especially IE-ists, have told one another for so long that
they have come to think it is gospel.  We have a tolerable understanding
of Proto-Austronesian, whose time-depth is probably greater than PIE's,
and with far less in the way of ancient written sources.  Carefully
carried out (as it has not always been), reconstruction past the PIE
level is certainly possible.

--
Even a refrigerator can conform to the XML      John Cowan
Infoset, as long as it has a door sticker       jcowan@reutershealth.com
saying "No information items inside".           http://www.reutershealth.com
        --Eve Maler                             http://www.ccil.org/~cowan

Reply