Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Verginius Rufus
Lithuanian is supposed to be the most old-fashioned of all the Indo-European languages, at least those which are still spoken, and I think Latvian and Lithuanian are fairly close (they are both labeled as Baltic languages).

That is my understanding, too. It is remarkable that these two languages have survived, as both peoples have been often dominated by other countries. There once was another Baltic language called Prussian, but it is extinct -- I suppose the people who spoke that language either became Poles or Germans.

46 posted on 11/27/2003 3:43:56 AM PST by Wilhelm Tell (Lurking since 1997!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies ]


To: Wilhelm Tell
"Lithuanian is supposed to be the most old-fashioned of all the Indo-European languages, at least those which are still spoken, and I think Latvian and Lithuanian are fairly close (they are both labeled as Baltic languages)."

I read a book recently, "The Basque History of the World" wherein it was the author's contention that the language spoken by the Basques (pronounced A-oo-skar'-a) is a language unlike any other in that it's lineage can't be traced. The language is making a comeback now that Franco is dead and no longer killing anyone caught speaking it. A sentence often consists of a single noun with numerous suffixes. Anyway, the inferance was that the Basque people and their language are VERY old. Their relatively inhospitable and easily defended homeland have kept them from being ousted by everyone from the Romans and Moors to the Nazis, French and Spanish. They always allowed unhindered passage through their mountain passes to any armies that desired as long as they caused no harm to the Basque people.

Do any of you linguists out there have any specific knowledge of the Basque language?

93 posted on 12/02/2003 3:24:35 PM PST by gorush
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson