Posted: Mar 01, 2010 6:53 pm
crank wrote:Adco wrote:crank wrote:As to languages being related, this is an extremely interesting field, languages have been tentatively linked that you wouldn't think it possible. Even hints that all languages developed from one early proto-language.
This doesn't make sense. What about the isolated people like the aboriginals in Aussie compared to the Incas. No people contact, so no link. Totally different words used.
Why no people contact? Incas came from northern Asia, Aussies from ??, but at some time in the past, there would be contact between a common ancestor. It is highly highly speculative, no one has a real clue how old language is, how it developed, etc. There is speculation on a connection between Basque and Navajo, hows that for a stretch?
Basque and Navajo!!!! Jesus.
From what I gather, distant connections exist and where they don't it may possibly be because the languages involved have evolved beyond our ability to trace commonality. There are remote suggestions of some African languages amongst the major American groups (Amerind, Aleut and Nadene)... unless I've been totally misinformed about that. Curious to know where Australian aboriginals might figure in all of this particularly in light of genetic traits shared with the people of Tierra del Fuego (though I think the Inca / Australian thing is still a bit of a stretch).
Fascinating subject. I've had stabs at learning Nahuatl over the years (the Mexican language spoken by people commonly referred to as Aztecs) which is easier than you might imagine but also very weird, and I don't know enough about other languages to be able to tell if there are any similarly weird goings on in other tongues.
For example, in Nahuatl there isn't really such a thing as a noun in isolation. The closest form is termed an absolutive noun meaning that you can't just say the word 'dog' in Nahuatl, you have to say something approximating 'it is a dog'.