LINGUIST List 21.2604
Tue Jun 15 2010
Disc: Latin Etymology
Editor for this issue: Elyssa Winzeler
<elyssalinguistlist.org>
1. Lynn
Guindon,
Latin Etymology
Message 1: Latin Etymology
Date: 15-Jun-2010
From: Lynn Guindon <lguindonwindstream.net>
Subject: Latin Etymology
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It is basic to comparative Indo-European linguistics that one use theoldest attested forms from any language family to establish relatednessbetween languages and units from those languages, such as words.Therefore, the evidence one wants when discussing Latin derivatives ofIndo-European is written evidence from the oldest states of languagesrelated to Latin. Rather than using Modern English words, for instance,Gothic is preferred to demonstrate the relationship between Latin (orrather the Italic branch of IE) and the Germanic family. The reasons oneuses the oldest attested forms are various, but one reason is that it isbest to compare languages of similar antiquity, and another is that usingthe oldest forms available avoids needless complications to comparisonscreated by analogical and sociological changes, so that one can focus asmuch as possible on what are clearly purely phonological changes.
Linguistic Field(s):
Historical Linguistics
Subject Language(s): Latin (lat)
Language Family(ies): Indo-European
Page Updated: 15-Jun-2010
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