Vasconic languages

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The Vasconic languages are a hypothetical language family that was once widespread on the European continent before it was mostly replaced by Indo-European languages. Relics of the Vasconic languages are the Basque language and many toponyms all over Central and Western Europe. The theory has been coined by the German linguist Theo Vennemann, but has been disputed by other linguists.

1 Theory of a Vasconic substratum
2 Critics
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Theory of a Vasconic substratum

After the last Ice Age, Vasconic people from today's Southern France and Northern Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal) resettled the European continent. They gave names to the rivers and places. These names have often persisted after the Vasconic languages were replaced by Indo-European languages.

This theory is based on parallelisms in European toponymy that have been noted by Hans Krahe or by Marija Gimbutas to be relics of a pre-Indo-European substratum. Theo Vennemann identifies the substratum as Vasconic because typical elements of pre-Indo-European toponyms can be explained through the Basque language, for instance the element aran, Unified Basque haran "valley", in names like Val d'Aran, Arundel, Arendal or Ahrntal.

Another alleged evidence for the Vasconic language is the persistence of vigesimal (base-20 counting) traits in Celtic, French or Danish. The vigesimal system is explained to be a trait of the Vasconic language.

Theo Vennemann also adduces evidence from genetics and blood types that show that typical Basque characteristics are found throughout Central and Western Europe, especially in typical areas of retreat like mountains.

[edit] Critics

The hypothetical Vasconic language is strongly criticized by most historical linguists. The German linguist Dieter Steinbauer criticizes for instance that a language isolate like Basque is unfit for the reconstruction of a substratum language, that there are few historical data of Basque and that Basque itself has adopted many loanwords from Indo-European languages.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Alfred Bammesberger, Theo Vennemann: Languages in prehistoric Europe. Winter, Heidelberg 2003, 319-332. ISBN 3-8253-1449-9
(German) Theo Vennemann: Zur Frage der vorindogermanischen Substrate in Mittel- und Westeuropa. In: Patrizia Noel Aziz Hanna (ed.): Europa Vasconica. Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs. Bd 138. Europa Semitica. de Gruyter, Berlin 2003, 517-590. ISBN 3-11-017054-X
(German) Theo Vennemann: Basken, Semiten, Indogermanen. Urheimatfragen in linguistischer und anthropologischer Sicht. In: Wolfgang Meid (ed.): Sprache und Kultur der Indogermanen. Akten der X. Fachtagung der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft, 22.-28. September 1996. Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft. Bd 93. Innsbruck 1998, 119-138. ISBN 3-85124-668-3
(German) Elisabeth Hamel, Theo Vennemann: Vaskonisch war die Ursprache des Kontinents. In: Spektrum der Wissenschaft. Spektrumverlag, Heidelberg 25.2002,5,32ff. ISSN 0170-2971
(German) Dieter H. Steinbauer: Vaskonisch - Ursprache Europas? In: Günter Hauska (ed.): Gene, Sprachen und ihre Evolution. Universitätsverlag, Regensburg 2005. ISBN 3-930480-46-8