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From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Roots of Lithuanian language ?
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Date: Thu, 25 May 1995 01:27:48 GMT
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In article <3pvte3$njd@news.cict.fr>,
CLARY Olivier <clary@sesostris.meteo.fr> wrote:

>OK, so I understand that among the branches of living IE languages (Albanian,
>Armenian, Baltic, Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Indo-Iranian, Romance, Slavic),
>possible groupings are: Balto-Slavic and Italo-Celtic.
>Following my habit to learn from readers of this group I would ask:
>   - are there other wider groupings? good indications of the overall shape
>     of the tree? (which branch separated earlier etc)

The _dtv-Atlas zur deutschen Sprache_, a masterpiece of concision, includes
examples of both "family tree" and "wave" models.  The information given
is a bit antiquated (as evidenced by the fact that it includes an "Italo-
Celtic" branch) and no source is given for the models, but here is the
family tree:

					 ---------------Germanic
					/		
		Slavo-Germanic----------		/ Lithuanian
	      /				\ Balto-Slavic -
	     /						\ Slavic
	    /
	   /						/ Celtic
PIE-------- 				Italo-Celtic --
  \				      /			\ Italic
   \                                  /
    \				    / -	- - - -	- - - - -  Albanian
     \			 	   /		
      \			   G-I-C ------------------------- Greek
       \ 		 /
	Aryo-Graeco-Italo-Celtic					
			\			        / Iranian
			 \______________Indo-Iranian ---
							\ Indic

(This looks fine on my screen.  If it looks like garbage on yours, please,
don't tell me. ^_^)

There are problems with this model (not least of all the pruning of the
dead branches), but it represents at least one way to divy up the
Indo-European family.  As to how many linguists accept it...asking that 
question is asking for trouble.

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