"invasion"?

[L.S.Cousins]

Responding to Dominik,

>I noticed a new book by Elst which has the title "Update on the Aryan
>Invasion Debate".  I'm unaware that there exists such a debate.  Am I
>alone in thinking this?  I thought that any idea of an invasion as such
>was discredited thirty years ago.

Isn't this going a bit far ? Surely, the point is that no-one doubts
that Vedic is structurally related to other Indo-European languages
and not to e.g. Dravidian languages. No-one doubts that. Unless you
think that India was the original homeland of the Indo-European
languages, there is no doubt that the language was brought there.

After that , everything is speculation. It used to be thought that
there was some archaeological evidence for invasion, but that now
seems doubtful. So we cannot rule out the possibility of a gradual
spread as the result of peaceful immigration or trade. But it has to
be the less likely possibility. We know of no other case in which a
language has become so widespread in that way.

Of course, that wouldn't in any case necessarily mean that Indians
are mostly descended from the incomers.

Or, are you taking the Mick ?

Lance Cousins
--
HEADINGTON, UK

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