| Sino-caucasian |
Website Links For Languages |
Information AboutSino-caucasian |
|
While most linguists consider Basque (like Burushaski) to be a Language Isolate , John Bengtson published several articles in the early 1990s in which he postulated the Vasco-Caucasian family, linking Basque to the Northwest Caucasian and Northeast Caucasian families, and '''Macro-Caucasian''', which would link these to Burushaski. The internal structure of the Dene-Caucasian Language Superfamily according to S.A. Starostin can be seen below. FAMILY TREE PROPOSALS Starostin's view The Dene-Caucasian family tree and approximate divergence dates (estimated by Glottochronology ) proposed by S. A. Starostin and his colleagues from the Tower of Babel project: :1. Dene-Caucasian languages {Link without Title} ::1.1. Na-Dené Languages /Athabascan-Eyak-Tlingit :::1.1.1. Athabaskan-Eyak ::::1.1.1.1. Athabaskan ::::1.1.1.2. Eyak :::1.1.2. Tlingit ::1.2. Sino-Vasconic languages {Link without Title} :::1.2.1. Vasconic (see below) :::1.2.2. Sino-Caucasian languages {Link without Title} ::::1.2.2.1. Burushaski ::::1.2.2.2. Caucaso-Sino-Yenisseian {Link without Title} :::::1.2.2.2.1. North Caucasian Languages ::::::1.2.2.2.1.1. Northeast Caucasian Languages ::::::1.2.2.2.2.2. Northwest Caucasian Languages :::::1.2.2.2.2. Sino-Yeniseian {Link without Title} ::::::1.2.2.2.2.1. Yeniseian Languages ::::::1.2.2.2.2.2. Sino-Tibetan Languages Bengtson's view Current view of J. D. Bengtson, as yet not dated by glottochronological analyses: :1. Dene-Caucasian ::1.1. Sino-Tibetan ::1.2. Na-Dené :::1.2.1. Haida :::1.2.2. Athabascan-Eyak-Tlingit ::::1.2.2.1. Tlingit ::::1.2.2.2. Athabascan-Eyak :::::1.2.2.2.1. Eyak :::::1.2.2.2.2. Athabaskan ::1.3. Yeniseian ::1.4. Macro-Caucasian :::1.4.1. Vasconic (see below) :::1.4.2. Caucasian-Burushic ::::1.4.2.1. North Caucasian ::::1.4.2.2. Burushaski SUB-BRANCHES Vasconic This branch consists of the Basque Language , the extinct Aquitanian Language (assuming it was not just an old form of Basque), and their hypothetical ancestors. Proposed Vasco-Caucasian cognates Many words which are rarely borrowed between languages are very similar in Basque and the Caucasian languages. This belongs to the strongest arguments Bengtson offers to support Basque's position within the Dene-Caucasian superstock. Notes: Dargwa, Chechen, Khinalug, Lak, Tabasaran, and Udi are East Caucasian Languages . Proto-Dargwa is the reconstructed ancestor of Dargwa, and Proto-Caucasian is the reconstructed last common ancestor of all known East and West Caucasian languages. By convention an asterisk marks reconstructed words. "V" is an uncertain vowel, "H" is an uncertain glottal or epiglottal consonant. Dashes indicate that no forms comparable to the Basque word have been found in the language. Sino-Caucasian The terms Dene-Caucasian, '''Sino-Dene''' and '''Sino-Caucasian''' are often confused. While the former two are synonymous, the latter is generally regarded their sub-branch. Sino-Caucasian would thus consist of the North Caucasian , Sino-Tibetan , Yenisseian and Burushaski branches, with Na-Dene and Basque being excluded. A simplified outline of the preliminary correspondences that have been proposed by the author and his colleagues so far may be given as follows: Sino-Caucasian Sound Correspondences =The Original Transcription The transcription is based on the one used here . =The IPA Transcription EXTERNAL LINKS
SEE ALSO
The individual Dene-Caucasian phyla: |