Proto-Vedic Continuity Theory: Bharatiya Languages

[Guest guest]

For about two centuries, the issue of Indo-European Linguistics has

virtually has either misled or frozen research studies related to bharatiya

languages.

It is time to remedy this situation with a new approach, but based on

bharatiya tradition of bhasha s'iksha.

Here is an attempt by Mayuresh Kelkar and S. Kalyanaraman.

A two-page summary is provided in this message. Detailed monograph of about

100 pages with pictures is at http://protovedic.blogspot.com/ The file will

also be uploaded on the files section. A summary plus album of pictures is

also mirrored at http://spaces.msn.com/members/sarasvati97

Dhanyavaadah.

K.

 

The Proto-Vedic Continuity Theory of Bharatiya (Indian) Languages

 

S. Kalyanaraman and Mayuresh Kelkar

 

(October 2005, Yugabda 5106, Deepavali)

 

Summary: To avoid the pitfalls of invasionist hypotheses to explain

language changes, a Proto-Vedic Continuity Theory for Bharatiya languages is

postulated. This will be tested on the Indo- in the Indo-European,that is

Bharatiya (Indian) languages, which are clubbed in the hyphenated compound,

'Indo-European' languages.

 

Bharatam janam is the phrase used by vis'vamitra gathina in the Rigveda.

The objective of this monograph is to study the languages of bharatam janam

in a historical and cultural perspective. The Rig Veda is such a profound

document that many centuries of evolution of language should have occurred

before the Vedic mantra-s were perceived ( dras.t.a). It is, therefore,

suggested that there was a Proto-Vedic language which needs to be unraveled

through language studies.

 

The authors submit that it should be possible to delineate the

languages/dialects spoken by bharatam janam from Proto-Vedic times. This

will be attempted by denying the usefulness of methods used by Indo-European

Linguistics (IEL) that are unfalsifiable, ideologically driven conjectures.

.. Was Proto Indo European ever spoken? Who knows? This is an unfalsifiable

statement in IEL. Many unfalsifiable statements found among proponents and

supporters of IEL are presented as quotable quotes in this monograph. An

array of genetic-language relationship studies from mostly genetic journals

to highlight the slippery nature of the attempts being made to match a

scientific, genetic discipline with unfalsifiable categorizations provided

by IEL studies. Many IEL assumptions are treated as "evidence" in these

articles appearing in "scientific" journals.

 

The monograph is organized in two parts and the following sections,

highlighting the limitations of IEL and the imperative of study of evolution

of Bharatiya languages now spoken by more than one billion people living in

Bharat, that is India.

 

Part 1: Limitations of Indo-European Linguistics

 

 

1. 'Love' of Sanskrit as a camouflage for evangelism

2. Unfalsifiable Teach Yourself PIE

3. Indeterminate laryngeals

4. Aryan race ideology

5. Eurocentrism

6. A fading discipline hangs on to slippery genes

 

Part 2: Bharatiya Language Studies

 

1. Studies needed to delineate the Indo- in Indo-European

2. Study of Prakrits from Paleolithic times

3. The Proto-Vedic Continiuty Theory of Bharatiya Languages

 

Appendix 1 provides a dialectic on How to study bhasha? S'abda as Brahman

in bharatiya tradition of language studies (s'iksha).

 

Appendix 2 discusses c* oncordances between Post-Vedic and Avestan. The

Annex provides detail examples of concordances between Vedic and Avestan. *

 

* *

 

[The term Bhartiya as used in this monograph refers to people of 'Greater

India' comprising the modern nations of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangaldesh,

Bhutan and S'rilanka; language contacts evidenced in Afghanistan, Iran,

Mesopotamia and in Indian Ocean Rim states (for e.g., Burma, Cambodia, Laos,

Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand).]