Thread

1. TFNA · 1789708775 · focus · HN ↗

   The title is super-clickbaity, as no Indo-Europeanist working today believes in a single Pre-Greek language; this was the idée fixe of the scholar Robert Beekes well over a decade ago now, and very flawed research as Beekes was succumbing to dementia then. In fact, within the field "Pre-Greek!" has become something of an inside joke.

   The article does eventually mention the current state-of-the-art, but only after perpetuating the misconception for some paragraphs, and that is poor form for a pop-sci article.

   1. empath75 · 1789734391 · focus · HN ↗

      Also, “not having a known etymology” is weak evidence for borrowing, full stop, let alone for borrowing from a substrate. There are lots of very common words in english (dog, pig, boy, girl) that have no known etymology which are incredibly unlikely to impossible to have come from a substrate language.

      Languages invent new words and sound patterns endogenously all the time.

      1. TFNA · 1789738376 · focus · HN ↗

         English dog has had an etymology for the last 20 years or so (Gasiorowski's) that many find convincing. But with regard to Greek lexicon, it is not just the lack of etymology that suggests substrate but the non-IE phonology of many of these words.

         1. yorwba · 1789739490 · focus · HN ↗

            Gąsiorowski&#x27;s etymology: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.researchgate.net&#x2F;publication&#x2F;290177844_The_etymology_of_Old_English_docga" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.researchgate.net&#x2F;publication&#x2F;290177844_The_etymo...

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