Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!gatech!arclight.uoregon.edu!news-res.gsl.net!news.gsl.net!news.mathworks.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!uwm.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uchinews!deb5
From: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: CAPITAL LETTERS
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: ellis-nfs.uchicago.edu
Message-ID: <DuyqFM.BGz@midway.uchicago.edu>
Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (News Administrator)
Organization: The University of Chicago
References: <31E6545B.167EB0E7@ren.er.usgs.gov> <piD4iVA8ps6xEwLD@kindness.demon.co.uk> <4sg8au$oif@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk> <Duwxw7.IJ3@midway.uchicago.edu>
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 21:02:09 GMT
Lines: 51

In article <Duwxw7.IJ3@midway.uchicago.edu>,
Daniel von Brighoff <deb5@midway.uchicago.edu> wrote:
>In article <4sg8au$oif@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk>,
>Simon Buck <Simon.Buck@Computing-Service.Cambridge.AC.UK> wrote:
>>Ysgrifennodd Colin Fine (colin@kindness.demon.co.uk):
>>   In article <4sdp78$o7v@kralle.zdv.Uni-Mainz.DE>,
>>   knappen@iphcip1.physik.uni-mainz.de writes
>>   >In article <31E6545B.167EB0E7@ren.er.usgs.gov>, Peter Bromfield
>>   ><peter@ren.er.usgs.gov> writes:
>>   >:the only laguages using capitals are european, correct? i was wondering
>>   >
>>   >If you aren't really strict on the meaning of `european', you may be right.
>>   >Capital letters are a feature of the writing system, not of the language, and
>>   >occur in the following ones: latin, greek, cyrillic, georgian, armenian.
>>
>>Unless you are thinking of the Greeks who lived in Asia, all these
>>originate strictly in Europe (Georgia and Armenia are in this
>>continent).
>[rest deleted]
>
>Now this is *really* nitpicking, but I suppose by "Greeks who lived in
>Asia", you're referring to the inhabitants of Asia Minor, now the
>nation of Turkey.  Until the most recent round of massacres (beginning 
>in 1896 and culminating during WW1), most Armenians lived in Asia Minor; 
>it is only during this century that Armenia has been reduced to the con-
>fines of Transcaucasia.  Exact details of the invention of the Armenian 
>script are uncertain, but it was definitely in the 5th century A.D. when 
>the cultural centre was Ani, located within the borders of modern Turkey.  
>It is, therefore, not only possible but also likely that Mesrop's script 
>was devised in Asia and not Europe (although the role of Greek script as
>a model is obvious).

Well, I'm not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that no one
has yet taken me to task for my imperfect grasp of Armenian history:
the political and cultural capitol of Armenian in the 5th century was
Ejmiatsin--still the religious capitol of the Armenian Apostolic
Church which Mesrop helped foster--which is located just west of
Yerevan, near the Turkish border but within the boundaries of the modern
Armenian Republic.  Ani existed at that time but didn't achieve impor-
tance until half a millenium later.

My point still stands, though:  definitely assigning Armenia to one 
continent or another is a thankless task of tetrapilectomy.  Reason-
able people may differ whether, "strictly speaking", Armenian is a
"European" language or not.


-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
