Is a Basque an Indo-European Language?

• Autores: John T. Koch
• Localización: The Journal of Indo-European Studies, ISSN 0092-2323, Vol. 41, Nº. 1-2, 2013, págs. 255-267
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The evidence for the established classification of Basque as an isolate is primaruly negative and superficial: it doesn't look like anything else in its lexicon, phonology, and morphosyntax. Therefore, it is justified to investigate the possibility that the operation of regular sound laws have obscured Basque's connections to Indo-European. Forni's proposal taht Basque is an Indo-European language cannot be accepted, partly because the method loosens parameters of the historical-comparative method thus risking a false positive result. More importantly, the morpho-syntax and sound system of Basque cannot be squared with a definition of Indo-European as the outcome of an unbroken chain of language acquisition by children from native speakers going back to Proto-Indo-European. Nonetheless, this response recognizes the value of Forni's study in pointing towards possible pre-Roman layers of Indo-European influence on Basque.