Bono Homini Donum: Essays in Historical Linguistics, in Memory of J. Alexander Kerns

1093 Pages·1981·80.83 MB·English

by  Yoël L. Arbeitman

BONO HOMINI DONUM
CURRENT ISSUES IN LINGUISTIC THEORY
AMSTERDAM STUDIES IN THE THEORY AND HISTORY
OF LINGUISTIC SCIENCE – Series IV
General Editor
E.F.K. KOERNER
Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Typologie
und Universalienforschung, Berlin
[email protected]
Current Issues in Linguistic Theory (CILT) is a theory-oriented series which welcomes
contributions from scholars who have significant proposals to make towards the advancement
of our understanding of language, its structure, functioning and development. CILT has
been established in order to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of linguistic
opinions of scholars who do not necessarily accept the prevailing mode of thought in linguistic
science. It offers an outlet for meaningful contributions to the current linguistic debate, and
furnishes the diversity of opinion which a healthy discipline must have.
A complete list of titles in this series can be found on http://benjamins.com/catalog/cilt
Advisory Editorial Board
Henning Andersen (Copenhagen)
Raimo Anttila (Los Angeles)
Tomaz V. Gamkrelidze (Tiflis)
Hans-Heinrich Lieb (Berlin)
J. Peter Maher (Chicago)
Ernst Pulgram (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
E. Wyn Roberts (Vancouver, B.C.)
Danny Steinberg (Honolulu)
Volume 16
Yoël L. Arbeitman, Allan R. Bomhard (eds.)
Bono Homini Donum.
Essays in Historical Linguistics, in Memory of J. Alexander Kerns
BONO HOMINI DONUM
ESSAYS IN HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS, IN
MEMORY OF J. ALEXANDER KERNS
Edited by
YOËL L. ARBEITMAN & ALLAN R. BOMHARD
JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING COMPANY
AMSTERDAM/PHILADELPHIA
TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
8
the American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bono homini donum : essays in historical linguistics, in memory of J. Alexander Kerns /
edited by Yoël L. Arbeitman & Allan R. Bomhard.
p. cm. (Amsterdam studies in the theory and history of linguistic science. Series IV,
Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, issn 0304-0763 ; v. 16)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Kerns, J. Alexander. 2. Historical linguistics. 3. Indo-European languages.
I. Arbeitman, Yoël L. II. Bomhard, Allan R. III. Kerns, J. Alexander.
P140 .B47 1981
410--dc22 82126634
isbn 978 90 272 3507 7 (Hb ; alk. paper)
isbn 978 90 272 8095 4 (Eb)
© 1981 – John Benjamins B.V.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any
other means, without written permission from the publisher.
John Benjamins Publishing Co. · P.O. Box 36224 · 1020 me Amsterdam · The Netherlands
John Benjamins North America · P.O. Box 27519 · Philadelphia pa 19118-0519 · usa
Benjamin SCHWARTZ J. Alexander KERNS Yoël ARBEITMAN
1967

PREFACE
J. Alexander Kerns was a prodigious linguistic scholar, whose in­
terests extended to all of the major language families of the world.
The essays gathered together in this book to honor his memory reflect
his wide-ranging interests and, therefore, include contributions deal­
ing not only with the Indo-European parent language and its descendants
but also with other language families such as Afroasiatic and Altaic.
But Kerns the man was more, much more, than a prodigious linguist
-- he was, first and foremost, a kind, generous, and extremely humble
human being; he was the quintessential embodiment of all of the quali­
ties that enoble humankind. His influence was great -- not on account
of his scholarly publications, which were relatively few in number,
but because he so greatly inspired all who came into contact with him.
The idea of preparing this volume -- now a reality after three,
long, hard years of labor -- was first conceived by Yoël Arbeitman
shortly after Professor Kerns passed away in October, 1975. Except
for the Dedication and Yoël Arbeitman's contribution, all of the work
required to prepare the camera-ready manuscript was done by Allan R.
Bomhard.
The editors would like to thank all those — too numerous to
name -- who helped to make this undertaking a success. Special ap­
preciation must be expressed to the General Editor of the series,
Ë.F.Konrad Koerner, and to the publisher, John Benjamins, Amsterdam,
for their patience, enthusiastic support, and many helpful suggestions.

DEDICATION
MEMINI NEQUE OBLIVISCAR: ΘΩI ANΘPΩ ΩI ∆ΩPON
BONUS HOMO. The very appellation causes the man we honor to cringe
with embarrassment. But, as he was so wont to do in life, he sublimates
his mortification into Indo-European citations: this time it is Luke 18:
19, which Alec quotes in (what else?) Greek & Latin (for self-explanatory
reasons), followed, at once, in Gothic & Lithuanian (his duae primae in­
ter pares):
Quid me dicis bonum? nemo bonus nisi solus Deus.
Iva mik qipis piupeigana? ni ainshun piupeigs niba ains Gup.
Kam mane vadini geru? ne vieno nera gero tik Dievas.
5
I appeal to you, Alec, balance your unseemly modesty with compassion
for my plight. Allow me my expiation for my sin, whereby I granted "de­
corum, propriety, and respectablity" a prerogative not rightly theirs:
to dam up the Truth from being proclaimed when it was due. At your me­
morial service, I knew it was only meet that I mount the rostrum to
interrupt all those "correct and proper" eulogies being declaimed, that
there was only one 6 word sentence that needed to be proclaimed: "He
was the 'goodest1 man alive." That would have been Truth's totality.
As a "socialized" being, I "controlled" myself; but since that day
I have had to live with the guilt, guilt and sin that can only now be
washed away, by proclaiming, for the Four Quarters of the Earth to hear,
that which the small group, gathered on that bleak, rainy, and nasty,
October day in 1975, should have heard proclaimed.
Alec loved the Indo-Europeans, a love that was almost unconditional;
yet in their narrow limiting of their "earthling" word (e.g. Latin homo/
humanus) he took great umbrage at them. For this Good Man realized that
it is not mankind alone who are "earthlings" ; all, who live and breathe
and share this planet with us presumptuous ones, are "earthlings"