Darwin-L Message Log 4:32 (December 1993)

Academic Discussion on the History and Theory of the Historical Sciences

This is one message from the Archives of Darwin-L (1993–1997), a professional discussion group on the history and theory of the historical sciences.

<4:32>From bsinger@eniac.seas.upenn.edu  Thu Dec  9 17:55:27 1993

From: bsinger@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Bayla Singer)
Subject: Lazarus Languages
To: darwin-l@ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu
Date: Thu, 9 Dec 93 18:58:21 EST

George Gale asks about bringing 'dead' languages 'back to life'.  There
are two senses in which this is done, to my knowledge: the first is a
reconstruction, a la the inferences used in developing
'proto-indo-european' (PIE); the second an adoption of a 'dead' or
liturgical language as the living language of a particular group of
people, as has been done with Hebrew in Israel.  In the second case, of
course, one must 'invent' or adopt new words to signify things which
didn't exist when the laguage was previously current.

Someone please add to my knowledge.

--bayla