Vasconic languages

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

Theory of a Vasconic substratum

Vennemann claims that 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 hydronymy that have been noted by Hans Krahe or in culture by Marija Gimbutas to be relics of a pre-Indo-European substratum. Theo Vennemann claims one of the substrata is 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. However, most linguists consider the hydronyms to be Indo-European.

Another alleged evidence for the Vasconic language is the persistence of vigesimal (base-20 counting) traits in Celtic, French, Georgian or Danish. Vennemann thinks that the vigesimal system is a trait of the Vasconic language.

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

Vennemann has developed his ideas in a series of papers which were collected in a book called Europa Vasconica - Europa Semitica. A long critical review of this appeared in Lingua 116. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V6H-4GJK8MS-1&_user=10&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2006&_rdoc=5&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%235815%232006%23998839987%23635807%23FLP%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=5815&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=12&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=55125c2e785e89404c5d6fc748b57e1e]

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.

ee also

*Atlantic (semitic) languages
*Urbian
*Old European hydronymy
*Pre-Indo-European
*Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
*Proto-Basque

References

*Alfred Bammesberger, Theo Vennemann: "Languages in prehistoric Europe". Winter, Heidelberg 2003, 319-332. ISBN 3-8253-1449-9
*Theo Vennemann; "Europa Vasconica - Europa Semitica", Berlin 2003.
*de icon 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
*de icon 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
*de icon Elisabeth Hamel, Theo Vennemann: " [http://www.spektrum.de/artikel/828702&_z=798888 Vaskonisch war die Ursprache des Kontinents] ". In: "Spektrum der Wissenschaft". Spektrumverlag, Heidelberg 25.2002,5,32ff. ISSN|0170-2971
*de icon Dieter H. Steinbauer: "Vaskonisch - Ursprache Europas?" In: Günter Hauska (ed.): "Gene, Sprachen und ihre Evolution". Universitätsverlag, Regensburg 2005. ISBN 3-930480-46-8
*Philip Baldi and Richard Page; Review of "Europa Vasconica - Europa Semitica" in Lingua 116, 2183-2220 (2006).

External links

* [http://www.germanistik.uni-muenchen.de/germanistische_linguistik/TV/Vennemann.htm Homepage of Theo Vennemann]
* [http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/15/15-1878.html Review of TV's book]