PaNis on Lebanese Coast

[Periannan Chandrasekaran]

--- Samar Abbas <abbas at IOPB.RES.IN> wrote:
> On Fri, 10 Nov 2000, Narayan R. Joshi wrote:
> > I am inclined to identify RV PaNis with the ancient Phoenicians of
> > Lebanese coast.
>
>  Dr.A.L.Basham `The Wonder that was India' also identifies the
> RigVedic Panis as the Phoenicians.
>
>  A review of Sergent's model of the Dravidian migration from
> Central Africa is at :
> http://members.nbci.com/KoenraadElst/articles/sergent.html
>
> which goes into the details of the proposed kinship between Dravidians
> and Africans.
>
It says:
"..
The similarity in the demonstrative affixes is among the most striking:
proximity is indicated by [i], initial in Dravidian but terminal in Wolof;
distance by [a], intermediate distance by [u]. "

If that is the most striking linguistic similarity, then even IE has such
similarity with Dravidian.
Both employ [i], [a] for demonstratives:
Skt itra = here; Dravidian: iGku
Skt. atra = there; Dr. aGku ;
Skt. idam = this. Dr. itu = this
and so on.
Gk. idos = this

The English words "this"  and "that" themselves have an [i] and [a] as in
Dravidian.


There other hundreds of lexical similarities between that cannot be dismisses
as coincidences:
I can take the field of turn/twist/curvature/hole to show that it is very
difficult to invoke coincidence to dismiss the similarities. You can see a
systematic correpondence in the sounds; e.g., liquids such as r/l interchange
(puzai/pore); ;consontal clusters systematically change in the Dravidian
(spiro/puri);
word initial voices stops in IE to unvoiced stops in Dravidian.

Let us first take the concept of turn/twist  which stunningly illustrates the
point:
Ta. puri = to twist; Gk. spiro
Ta. tiri = to twist; Gk. teres, tero
Ta. tiruku = to twist; Gk. torqueo
Ta. tiruppu = to turn; Gk. tropo, tropaeus

Next we turn to curvature:
Ta. vaLai = to bend, to turn; Gk. volvo
To. uruL = (intransitive) to roll; English. roll
Ta. kural = bend; English. curl
Ta. kuraGku, kurakku = to bend; English. crook, circle
Ta. kul- = to bend;  Gk. calamister, -cl- (as in coclea etc.,)

Ta. uruTTu = (transitive) to roll; Gk. roto

hole:
Ta. puzai = hole; E. pore
Ta. purai = hole; Gk. spiramen, spiraculum, E. pore

Other examples are the concept of group:
Ta. toRu = herd; E. troop. troup, O.E. thorp = herd
Ta. kuzu, kural = group, cluster; E. crew, group

some more:
Ta. el = sun, light; Gk. helios
Ta. eri, eRuz, uru = red; Gk. erythro, E. red
[note the sound "r"]
Ta. uraRu = roar; E. roar;
Ta. curuGku = shrink; E. shrink;
Ta. tura = to drive; E. drive
Ta. ivuLi = horse; Gk. hippo
and so on.

Luckily the author Elst says though
"..Knowng little of Dravidian and nothing at all of African languages, I don't
feel qualified to discuss this evidence. .."

> Samar
Regards
P.Chandrasekaran.




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