<<. Its also like trying to compare Greek with Indian. >>
What do you mean by "Indian", there are many languages on that subcontinent?
In old Sanskrit seven is "sapta"; in Greek seven is "hepta". In the modern Gujarati of western India, seven is "sat"; in modern French seven is "sept". A divinity in Sanskrit is "devas", in Latin ""deus". The "up there" concept of the heavens, or the clouds, is in Sanskrit "nabhas", in Greek "nephos"; in old Latin "nebula", in modern German "nebel", in Russian "nebesach". Mortal (man) in Sanskrit is "marta", in Greek "mortos". And on and on and on. When you compare two I-E languages, the relationship just leaps out at you. Like the old song said, "We are family", and our surname is Indo-European.
Basque just doesn't have the quality or the number of correspondences otherwise found in the I-E clan , which is why the academic consensus is that that language is NOT family. It's not even a red-haired stepchild. What the hell is it? Who knows.
<< My feeling is the assertion that Basque is not IE is rooted with their desire for Independence from Spain for the most part.>>
Huh? While it's true many Basques revel in their linguistic "otherness" as they strive for political otherness, it was the academic linguistic community, not the current Basque separatist community, that characterized the language as non-Indo-European.
John |
