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How likely are chance resemblances between languages? (2002)

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Re: How likely are chance resemblances between languages? (2002)

#51
post #44

My favorite little cross-language coincidence is how lots of place names up north end in 'vik'. In the old Viking world, there's Reykjavík, Keflavík, Grindavík, etc in Iceland. Then over in Norway, you've got Larvik, Malvik, Rørvik, etc. In Sweden: Västervik, Valdemarsvik, Örnsköldsvik. Then in the new world, Greenland has Aasivik and Arsivik. The Eastern part of the Canadian north has has Aquiatulavik and Iqiattavik…

Given that a cove is actually a place, it is reasonable to conclude that there is a connection between the use of this suffix as a descriptor for ‘place’ in both language groups. There may not have been ‘extensive linguistic exchange’ between Northern American and Northern Europeans, but there is evidence that contact had been made, and it’s not outside the realms of possibility that the vik suffix was transferred on…

> Given that a cove is actually a place, it is reasonable to conclude that there is a connection between the use of this suffix as a descriptor for ‘place’ in both language groups.

I’d say it’s reasonable to say that there could be a connection but it seems like quite a leap to conclude that there is a connection based on current knowledge.

Re: How likely are chance resemblances between languages? (2002)

#52
post #8
post #5

Finnish and Japanese are fairly similar but weirdly completely unrelated iirc.

My favorite little coincidence is that ending a sentence in "ne" turns it into a question in both Japanese and colloquial German, with exactly the same sense ("isn't it?").

I've noticed a similar similarity between the particle "yo" in Japanese and adverb "ju" in Swedish, both used for the same purpose at the end of sentences.

Re: How likely are chance resemblances between languages? (2002)

#53

My favorite little cross-language coincidence is how lots of place names up north end in 'vik'. In the old Viking world, there's Reykjavík, Keflavík, Grindavík, etc in Iceland. Then over in Norway, you've got Larvik, Malvik, Rørvik, etc. In Sweden: Västervik, Valdemarsvik, Örnsköldsvik. Then in the new world, Greenland has Aasivik and Arsivik. The Eastern part of the Canadian north has has Aquiatulavik and Iqiattavik…

IANAL[1] but is it possible that "vik" meant "home" or something as long as 20,000 years ago, before people even populated the Americas, and that this word persisted throughout the development of American and North Germanic languages?

[1] linguist :)

Re: How likely are chance resemblances between languages? (2002)

#54
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They share grammatical peculiarities lost in intermediate languages. Navajo introduced to Ket elders say they are almost inter-intelligible.

I'll bet a keg of beer that they are not in fact mutually intelligible.

No dog in this fight, but I was nerd sniped into doing some googling. I guess this is what they're referencing:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den%C3%A9%E2%80%93Yeniseian_...

Re: How likely are chance resemblances between languages? (2002)

#55

My favorite little cross-language coincidence is how lots of place names up north end in 'vik'. In the old Viking world, there's Reykjavík, Keflavík, Grindavík, etc in Iceland. Then over in Norway, you've got Larvik, Malvik, Rørvik, etc. In Sweden: Västervik, Valdemarsvik, Örnsköldsvik. Then in the new world, Greenland has Aasivik and Arsivik. The Eastern part of the Canadian north has has Aquiatulavik and Iqiattavik…

IANAL[1] but is it possible that "vik" meant "home" or something as long as 20,000 years ago, before people even populated the Americas, and that this word persisted throughout the development of American and North Germanic languages? [1] linguist :)

Unfortunately for your hypothesis, the etymology of the Norse or Icelandic suffix "-vik" in Reykjavik is known. It means "bay", originally through a sense of a twist or turn, like a turning in along the coast. It is related to English "wend", "wind (up)" or "way". ("Sideways" = "turned to the side".) The same Indo-European root, in a slightly different but related sense (think "turn over") via Latin gives "victor" and "vanquish", and also through Germanic "weaken" (to make yield).

Re: How likely are chance resemblances between languages? (2002)

#56

My favorite little cross-language coincidence is how lots of place names up north end in 'vik'. In the old Viking world, there's Reykjavík, Keflavík, Grindavík, etc in Iceland. Then over in Norway, you've got Larvik, Malvik, Rørvik, etc. In Sweden: Västervik, Valdemarsvik, Örnsköldsvik. Then in the new world, Greenland has Aasivik and Arsivik. The Eastern part of the Canadian north has has Aquiatulavik and Iqiattavik…

[deleted]

Re: How likely are chance resemblances between languages? (2002)

#57
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My favorite little coincidence is that ending a sentence in "ne" turns it into a question in both Japanese and colloquial German, with exactly the same sense ("isn't it?").

People have mentioned other languages (Polish, Latin, French, English) but the negation particles in all of those languages is from the same source (Proto-Indo-European "ne"). The Japanese one is entirely unrelated though.

Yeah and it's the same for German ne. Completely unrelated to Japanese.

Re: How likely are chance resemblances between languages? (2002)

#59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People have mentioned other languages (Polish, Latin, French, English) but the negation particles in all of those languages is from the same source (Proto-Indo-European "ne"). The Japanese one is entirely unrelated though.

Yeah and it's the same for German ne. Completely unrelated to Japanese.

Yes, that’s what I meant - all the languages that had already been mentioned are Indo-European, with the exception of Japanese.
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