Sunday, 17 August 2025

A Uniquely Rigvedic Meter Taken by the Mitanni to West Asia

 


A Uniquely Rigvedic Meter Taken by the Mitanni to West Asia

 Shrikant G. Talageri

 

A scholar, Jaydeepsinh Rathod, sent me links to an article (for which I am grateful to him):

https://archaeologymag.com/2025/08/3000-year-old-hymn-reveals-musical-links/ 

https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202506.1669/v2

 

A hymn in the Hurrian language, named the Hymn to Nikkal, found in Ugarit as “part of a larger Hurrian musical library written on clay tablets, of which this hymn alone has been preserved in its entirety”, and only recently deciphered (Hagel, 2005), is found to be in the Triṣṭubh meter, which is the most common meter in the Rigveda.  

The detailed and extremely researched article is self-explanatory. We will examine it below in the form of questions and answers:

 

1. Is the meter used in the Hymn to Nikkal very definitely Rigvedic?

The research paper itself repeatedly asserts that it is purely Rigvedic:

The hymn from Ugarit has two cadences, one in the middle and one at the end. The analysis presented here demonstrates that these cadences are identical to the two most common cadences of the Rig Veda”.

the ratio of long and short tones would be 1.4, which is also found in the contemporary Rig Veda”.

We will utilize statistical significance to identify just how unique the Hymn to Nikkal and Vedic poetry are in their use of cadences. It turns out, the cadences utilized in the Hymn to Nikkal and in Vedic poetry are not mistakable for chance encounters, as will be shown. Instead, they are good, recognizable, and reassuring verse conclusions”.

the most popular verse form of the Rig Veda—the Triṣṭubh—has at least five common opening patterns but virtually only one typical ending. This cadence marks the ends of more than 95% of a total of 16,450 Triṣṭubh verses (padas) in the Rig Veda, and it is a rhythmic pattern that, although only three syllables are fixed in it, makes for a clear and reassuring finale for each verse that it crowns (Van Nooten and Holland, 1995) […] The same cadence together with falling melodic lines is also found in the Hymn to Nikkal. To expand on this point, the present article comes with a computational evaluation. The cadences extracted from the Hymn to Nikkal in their full length of seven syllables were searched amid verse endings in the Rig Veda, and this search returned several thousand exact matches. […] the cadences that have been found in the Hymn to Nikkal connect it with the Rig Veda, interlinking the two musical cultures […] approximately every fifth verse in the Rig Veda ends with one of two cadences of the Hymn to Nikkal.

the Hymn to Nikkal matches up with the Rig Veda at least as well as if it was taken from within the Rig Veda itself—and even if picked from within, it would be one of the more characteristic duplets. Indeed, the statistics demonstrate that if the Hymn to Nikkal were part of the Rig Veda itself, its two cadences would be positioned among the topmost 1% most characteristic ones in the Rig Veda—that is on the top 100th percentile (Supplemental material)”.

the final cadence of the Hymn to Nikkal is also the most widespread cadence across all verses in the Rig Veda. Similarly, the first cadence of the Hymn to Nikkal is the second most widespread Rig Vedic cadence, and the most widespread in the Triṣṭubh meter, specifically. The composers of the Hymn to Nikkal could not have chosen better”.

One can confidently say that Vedic Indians would have loved this hymn. They would have recognized its rhythm as their own […] it can be concluded that the cadences of the Hymn to Nikkal are signature Rig Vedic cadences”.

The new result demonstrates that the music as a whole—including rhythm and melody—is even more typically Rig Vedic than the rhythm alone […] Here again, the excellent correspondence between the Hymn to Nikkal and the Rig Veda is no chance encounter. Considering that the rhythms of our two cadences are already defined, the melodies added by the Hymn to Nikkal on top of these rhythms are compatible with the two most frequent accent patterns present in the Rig Veda in association with these specific rhythms.

the first cadence of the Hymn to Nikkal remains the second most frequent melodic and rhythmic cadence across the entire Rig Veda, including the newer Rig Vedic hymns (Supplemental material). While there is one combination of rhythm and melody that is more common across all of the Rig Veda than the first cadence, this particular most frequent pattern resembles the positions between the two cadences of the Hymn to Nikkal. It features the same rhythm and only one difference in accent

There is more of the same.

 

2. Can the Tristubh meter found in the Hymn to Nikkal be of non-Vedic origin?

The Triṣṭubh meter is not found in the Avesta. Nor is it known to be found in Greece (before the references in the above article): a question “Is the Tristubh meter found in Greece” on google elicits the following AI overview; “No, the Tristubh meter is not found in Greece. It is a Vedic meter originating from ancient India, specifically used in the Rigveda. While similarities exist between Sanskrit and Greek prosody, the Tristubh meter is a uniquely Indian form of verse.”.

Again, another question, “Is the Tristubh meter found outside India” elicits the answer: “Yes, the Tristubh meter, a prominent Vedic meter, is found outside India, specifically in Southeast Asian prosody and poetry. Its influence is seen in Thai poetry, likely transmitted through Cambodia or Sri Lanka. Additionally, there's evidence of its influence in 6th-century Chinese literature, possibly introduced by Buddhist monks who visited India.” A corollary question (on the reference to Cambodia above) “Is the Tristubh meter found in Cambodia” again tells us: “No, the Tristubh meter is not specific to Cambodia. It is a Vedic meter, a form of Sanskrit prosody, and is found in ancient Indian texts. While Cambodia has strong Hindu and Buddhist influences, including Sanskrit language and cultural elements, the Tristubh meter itself originated in India”. In short: the meter went everywhere from India.

 

3. How did this meter reach West Asia and into the Hymn to Nikkal?

The research article is very clear about this: it reached there through the Mitanni people:

The kingdom of Mitanni was a Bronze Age society of the Near East that has left two immensely valuable gifts. The first gift is the earliest archaeological evidence for the existence of the Rig Vedic language and culture (Novák, 2007; Fournet, 2010).

This first gift is truly important because of both the of the Vedic culture, which has produced the scriptures of more than a billion Hindus today. Without the evidence from Mitanni, scholars would be at a loss, relying almost entirely on guesswork to determine when Old Indic and Vedic were originally spoken (Spinney, 2025).

In addition to helping scholars confirm their chronology of the Vedic language, the evidence from Mitanni also tells a story of its own. The archaeological evidence for the Vedic language that Mitanni has left is somewhat unconventional. It is not a full text written in Vedic. Instead, only individual words have remained, and these Vedic or Old Indic words fall in a narrow list of three categories: 1.) terms related to horsemanship, 2.) Vedic names of gods, and 3.) other Vedic names (Novák, 2007; Spinney, 2025; Gernot, 1989). Coincidentally, the country name “Mitanni” itself—or “Maitanni”, as it appears in early sources—may be a testimony to ancient connections between the Hurrians who lived in Mitanni and the Indo-European ancestors of the Vedic Indians. “Mitanni” is derived from the Old Indic verb mith- “to unite”. Specifically, the reconstructed accusative form *m[a]ithāṃ followed by the common Hurrian ending -nni, would give together Maitanni (Fournet, 2010). Similarly, the name of Mitanni’s capital “Waššukanni” may be derived from the Vedic word root “vasu”, signifying “wealth” Cotticelli-Kurras et. al, 2023. If these etymologies are correct, they suggests that this wealth-loving “United States” of the Bronze Age did indeed unite multiple cultures: the majority of the population was Hurrian, but there were also political, religious, and technological ties to Vedic-speaking peoples and their ancestors (Spinney, 2025).

Mitanni’s second gift is more specifically linked to Hurrian culture, and it is all the more delightful. It is the oldest preserved musical composition. It was found in Ugarit, an independent city on the east coast of the Mediterranean (Laroche 1955, Krispijn, 1990; West, 1994; Thiel, 1977; Smith and Kilmer, 2000). The composition is a Hymn to Nikkal (Figure 1), part of a larger Hurrian musical library written on clay tablets, of which this hymn alone has been preserved in its entirety. Attempts to decipher the notation proved successful in the 20th century (Hagel, 2005). The composition is two-voiced, and, perhaps not unexpectedly, much shorter than the Hurrian lyrics (Krispijn, 1990; Hagel, 2005; Krispijn, 2002)”.

 

4. How does the author of the research paper identify the chronology of the origin and spread of this hymn, and how does it fit in with Rigvedic chronology?

And here we come to the one single interpretative flaw that I find in the paper: the matter of chronology. While the paper is absolutely researched in all matters of metric studies, and will definitely add a new revolutionary element into the AIT-OIT debate, it falters in the matter of absolute chronology:

a) The scholars are idealistically hopeful (in spite of their own discoveries, repeatedly detailed throughout their paper, which show this particular meter to be unique and exclusive to, and of single origin in, the Rigveda) that they have found something which links ancient global music together:

The Hymn to Nikkal bears a distant influence, linking distant Bronze Age societies. These societies were also connected through politics, religion, and technology. Which connection, then, was the first? Is it possible that music and Art connected the world before speech, money, religion, or politics? Perhaps the role of music is underestimated because archeologists never get to hear musical compositions performed by prehistoric people…. The Hymn to Nikkal reveals that music both spreads and blends in easily, linking distant motives and themes. As a matter of fact, the hymn reflects an intricate web of connections. The clay tablet on which the hymn was inscribed was found in Ugarit. The musical notation is Hurrian, although not originally. Adding to the global connections, the Hurrian musical notation is derived from Near Eastern musical notation. Also, Nikkal is a Near Eastern goddess, venerated by the Akkadians already a millennium earlier, then as Ningal (Figure 1). Thus, the Hymn to Nikkal reveals connections across a broad range of cultures, including India, the Caucasus, the Near East, and the Mediterranean. This is something common for music. In music, everything seems interconnected. We can certainly say this for the present day, when songs literally go viral. Was there—just perhaps—a global musical culture already in the Bronze Age? (Figure 4)”.

But, as their paper shows, all these links started out from a single source, the Rigveda, and remained late and rare outside the Rigveda. It was not a pre-Rigvedic phenomenon but a post-Rigvedic one.

b) The scholars are clearly not fully acquainted with the internal chronology of the Rigveda, and with the chronological relationship of the Mitanni with the Rigveda. Though they do not specifically say so in so many words, they treat the common elements in the Rigveda and the Mitanni data as remnants of an earlier pre-Rigvedic extra-Indian relationship between the Vedic people and the Mitanni people: “Without the evidence from Mitanni, scholars would be at a loss, relying almost entirely on guesswork to determine when Old Indic and Vedic were originally spoken (Spinney, 2025). In addition to helping scholars confirm their chronology of the Vedic language, the evidence from Mitanni also tells a story of its own.

Specifically, they are totally unacquainted with the evidence that there is an Old Rigveda (based in Haryana) and a New Rigveda (representing a later phase with its geography expanding from Haryana northwestwards as far as Afghanistan) and that “Mitanni Indo-Aryan” represents a culture totally derived from the new and different culture of the New Rigveda:

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2022/08/final-version-of-chronological-gulf.html 

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-finality-of-mitanni-evidence.html

c) The article shows no acquaintance with the internal chronological order of the ten books of the Rigveda:

a closer look at some of the oldest hymns of the Rig Veda demonstrates that, here, the correspondence is the greatest.

The combination of rhythm and melody of the final cadence of the Hymn to Nikkal is compatible with the overall most frequent combined rhythm and accent cadence in Book 5 of the Rig Veda—the book of the Atri family. At the same time, the first cadence of the Hymn to Nikkal, taking rhythm and melody into account, matches up exactly with the overall most frequent cadence found in Books 4 and 6 of the Rig Veda—the books of the Vamadeva and Bharadvaja families (Supplemental material). Together, these three books—4, 5, and 6—are among the oldest Rig Vedic material and most likely contemporary to the Hymn to Nikkal. Later Rig Vedic material may have experienced changes in accent pronunciation, with the melodic accents gradually shifting from their original positions to the positions where they are still pronounced today.

In actual fact, Book 6 is an Old Book, Book 4 is a Middle Book, and Book 5 is a New Book. The correspondence of the Hymn to Nikkal is, at first look, with the whole of the Rigveda (since the Triṣṭubh meter is the commonest and most frequent meter throughout the Rigveda), and not, as the writers claim, “the greatest” with the “oldest hymns” in the three books they collectively describe as “among the oldest Rig Vedic material and most likely contemporary to the Hymn to Nikkal”.

A closer look, in fact, confirms that the correspondence is later down the line within the Rigveda: “The combination of rhythm and melody of the final cadence of the Hymn to Nikkal is compatible with the overall most frequent combined rhythm and accent cadence in Book 5 of the Rig Veda—the book of the Atri family”. That is, with the New Book 5.

And, although they club all the three books together in one “oldest” space, their own words make it clear that Book 5 is later to the others and represents a new period and phase: “This study reveals that this cadence was initially the most frequent one. Only gradually, it was outcompeted by the iambic cadence, which is more frequent in the Atri family book, where it may have originated, spreading to dominate in the newer books of the Rig Veda. It may have been liked for its simplicity and efficiency”.

A question “Iambic meters in the Rigveda” elicits the answer: “In the Rigveda, iambic meter is primarily found in the cadence (last four syllables) of lines, particularly in the Gāyatrī meter (8 syllables per line)”. 

 As I have pointed out in my books and articles, while the first two 8-syllabled meters in the Rigveda (Gāyatrī and Anuṣṭubh) are found throughout the Rigveda, but much less frequent than the Triṣṭubh, the further 8-syllabled meters start out from the Atri family book (Book 5) and are completely absent in the Old Rigveda (except one late verse in the latest hymn in Book 6):

Pankti (8+8+8+8+8):

I. 29; 80-81; 82.1-5; 84.10-12; 105.1-7,9-18 (57 verses).

V. 6; 7.10; 9.5,7; 10.4,7; 16.5; 17.5; 18.5; 20.4; 21.4; 22.4; 23.4; 35.8; 39.5; 50.5; 52.6,16-17; 64.7; 65.6; 75; 79 (49 verses).

VI. 75.17 (1 verses).

VIII. 19.37; 31.15-18; 35.22,24; 46.21,24,32; 56.5; 62.1-6,10-12; 69.11,16; 91.1-2 (24 verses).

IX. 112-114 (19 verses).

X. 59.8; 60.8-9; 86; 134.7; 145.6; 164.5 (29 verses). 

Mahāpankti (8+8+8+8+8+8):

I. 191.10-12 (3 verses).

VIII. 36.7; 37.2-7; 39; 40.1,3-11; 41; 47 (55 verses).

X. 59.9; 133.4-6; 134.1-6; 166.5 (11 verses).

Śakvarī (8+8+8+8+8+8+8):

VIII. 36.1-6; 40.2 (7 verses).

X. 133.1-3 (3 verses).

[Even Anuṣṭubh, the second of the 8-syllabled meters, is found in 155 verses in Book 5, but only in 115 verses in all the other five earlier Family Books 2,3,4,6,7 combined, and in 528 verses in the later Non-Family Books 1,8,9,10. Later it became the most common meter in Sanskrit].

 

All in all, the above paper, barring this unawareness of the internal chronology of the Rigveda, is a priceless addition to the AIT-OIT debate, even if not intended to be so.  


Saturday, 16 August 2025

An Example of Despicable, Self-Hating and Self-Destructive “Hindu virtues” From Golwalkar’s “Bunch of Thoughts”

 


An Example of Despicable, Self-Hating and Self-Destructive “Hindu virtues” From Golwalkar’s “Bunch of Thoughts”

Shrikant G. Talageri

 

 

Another short expression of my thoughts. This article is not exactly about history or politics. I will continue to put in a word when I see disgusting self-destructive traits being recommended to Hindus as “virtues”, whether this is being done by woke leftists or by so-called Hindu ideologues, including, in this case, Guru Golwalkar the second Sarsanghachalak of the RSS.

Someone just sent me a tweet by someone calling himself Ishara Kafi, dated 6 August 2025 (i.e. today) :

https://x.com/zeroflyingrats

He seems to be criticizing the glorification of Sambhaji through the film “Chhava”. Not being an expert on medieval Maratha history and historical heroes, I leave the question of the truth or otherwise of what he is saying about Sambhaji to others who may be more into that subject.

What caught my attention was an extract from Guru Golwalkar’s book “Bunch of Thoughts” that he highlighted:

https://x.com/zeroflyingrats/status/1956638386074333513

 

I have never actually read this book, and I was amazed that it could contain such an exhortation to Hindus to be blindly “loyal” to self-declared Hindu leaders to the extent that even if that “Hindu” leader kills a particular Hindu’s father “because of some past prejudices”, and then that same “Hindu” leader casts an evil eye on that same particular Hindu’s sister forcing her to “end her life to save her chastity”, that particular Hindu should still remain steadfastly “loyal” to that “Hindu” leader to the extent of sacrificing his own son and giving away all his property (and finally his own life) in the service of that same leader:



I wondered whether this was a hoax and personally downloaded and checked Guru Golwalkar’s book. In the circumstance, I did a great dishonor to the tweeter: he was perfectly right: Golwalkar does say this in his book!!

By this token, the behavior of the Indian soldiers who remained steadfastly "loyal" to their “leader”, General Dyer, and, at his direct behest, mowed down so many fellow-Indians in Jallianwala Bagh, should also be our ideal behavior.

 

I have already written many articles on slavish and self-destructive tendencies regularly believed to represent Hindu “virtues” and “virtuous” behavior:

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2019/09/justice-in-sohrab-modis-1939-film-pukar.html

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2020/04/hinduism-vs-hindutva-oxism-vs-oxatva.html 

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2021/10/karna-and-yudhisthira-in-mahabharata.html 

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2021/12/sambuka-bashing-or-confluence-of-brown.html 

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2021/12/apologetics-in-guise-of-hindu-response.html 

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-two-most-toxic-pseudo-moral.html

 

In short: Hindus should completely reject the exhortations of people advocating self-destructive, self-demeaning and self-degrading behavior, calling them “Hindu virtues”, regardless of whosoever the advocates may be. On the other hand, accept all those pieces of genuine wisdom, even when they come from inimical or dubious sources, such as Gandhi who wrote: “My own experience but confirms the opinion that the Musalman as a rule is a bully, and the Hindu as rule is a coward. I have noticed this in railways trains, on public roads, and in the quarrels which I have had the privilege of setting. Need the Hindu blame the Mussalman for his cowardice?..... Where there are cowards there will always be bullies”.


In more short, Hindus should neither be cowards, nor bullies, but most of all, they should never be fools and idiots treating stupid self-destructive behavior as “virtuous” behavior.  


Thursday, 14 August 2025

My interview on Sangam Talks Two Years Ago

 

My interview on Sangam Talks Two Years Ago

 Shrikant G. Talageri

 

Someone sent me the following tweet put up on 8 August by someone named Hamsanandi:

https://x.com/hamsanandi/status/1953549251990237459 

Was listening to an interview of Shrikant Talageri - He said as a child , his dream was to have a room full of books and a room full of music records. Exactly the two things I used to dream of too

Last edited1:40 AM · Aug 8, 2025

 

I did not fully remember all the details of the contents of the video of this interview (that he is referring to) uploaded by Sangam Talks on youtube over two years ago, so (having some time on my hands) I saw the whole video over again now. It is a general autobiographical or personal sort of video. Unlike most of my other videos (where, while I have no problems with the contents, I don’t really like my own voice or style of speaking, and generally prefer my writing to my speaking), I quite liked my own presentation in this particular interview:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTLugnmBrL4 

[Note: anyone watching this video should disable the sub-titles which seem unrelated to anything that I am saying].

I felt the above video should be seen by other people as well, at least by those who read my blogs. If this seems conceit to anyone, well, I have never bothered what people think. At any rate, having completed 67 years of age today (14th August 2025), I decided to mark the occasion by indulging in this piece of conceit (drawing attention to my above interview) as a sort of (what I hope is a) final epilogue to, or concluding shot for, my blogspot: after this, there will be no major political or historical blogs, though there may be occasionally blogs on lighter topics, like films and music, when the mood strikes me.  


Wednesday, 13 August 2025

The Alleged Elamite-Dravidian Relationship

 


The Alleged Elamite-Dravidian Relationship

Shrikant G. Talageri

  

Someone drew my attention to the increasingly strident claims about the alleged relationship between Elamite and Dravidian being repeatedly bandied around on the internet, and asked for my comments. As I have already referred to this claim in earlier articles, there should have been no need for this article to express my views or comments on the subject. But perhaps a more detailed answer would not be out of place, since, for various reasons, many of those actively propagating this relationship, and touting a “Dravidian Invasion/Migration Theory” into India from the area of the extinct Elamite civilization (southwestern-Iran and adjoining parts of Iraq) are actually opponents of the AIT!

 

Here is what the Wikipedia article on “Elamite Language” has to say about these claims: “Elamite is regarded by the vast majority of linguists as a language isolate,[29][30] as it has no demonstrable relationship to the neighbouring Semitic languagesIndo-European languages, or to Sumerian, despite having adopted the Sumerian-Akkadian cuneiform script.

An Elamo-Dravidian family connecting Elamite with the Brahui language of Pakistan and Dravidian languages of India was suggested in 1967 by Igor M. Diakonoff[31] and later, in 1974, defended by David McAlpin and others.[32][33] In 2012, Southworth proposed that Elamite forms the "Zagrosian family" along with Brahui and, further down the cladogram, the remaining Dravidian languages; this family would have originated in Southwest Asia (southern Iran) and was widely distributed in South Asia and parts of eastern West Asia before the Indo-Aryan migration….” − those opponents of the AIT who support the DIT, of course, postulate this alleged migration from Elam to India during the period of an Indo-Aryan speaking native Indian civilization – but the article starts out with “Elamite is generally thought to have no demonstrable relatives and is usually considered a language isolate”, and concludes with: “None of these ideas [of connections between Elamite and Dravidian or other languages] have been accepted by mainstream historical linguists”. But the efforts are still on from all sides!

 

Strangely, despite determined efforts by these scholars, there is hardly anything in the data to support this alleged connection (and resultant migration from Elam to India).

 

It is notable that very little data about the Elamite vocabulary is available – certainly not enough to make such spurious claims worthy of consideration. Even the number words are not known: a search on google for “Elamite number words” elicits the information: “The Elamite language, spoken in ancient Elam (present-day Iran), utilized a decimal number system, likely derived from finger-counting, but the specific Elamite words for numbers are not recorded”.

 

A specific inquiry about Elamite vocabulary in Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Elamite_word_list) gives us a list of basic words compiled by Blažek:

 

List

No.

English gloss

Elamite

1.212

earth=ground, soil

muru-; mu-ru-it; mu-ru-un

1.213

dust

su-uk-ma

1.220

mountain, hill

am-ni

1.270

shore

šà-ri-ut

1.280

cave

du-ráš

1.310

water

zul; zu-ul

1.320

sea

kam

1.370

spring, well

zu-ul.la-li

1.420

tree

husa; hu-sa; hu-sa-a

1.430

wood

hu-h-qat; hu-uk; ma-lu

1.440

stone, rock

har; ú-h-um-ma

1.520

sun

na-h-hu-un-te; na-hi-ti; na-hu-te

1.530

moon

na-ap-ir; na-pir

1.540

star

mar-du

1.550

lightning

luk; lu-uk

1.590

rainbow

ma-an-za-at

1.610

light (noun)

hun; hu-un; hu-ni-in

1.630

shade, shadow

šad-da-ku

1.710

air

si-me-in

1.750

rain (noun)

te-ip

1.810

fire

lim; li-im

1.852

burn (vb intrans)

lim-; lum-; li-im-ma-áš-pi; li-im-ma-ak; lu-mu-un-ra

2.210

man (vs. woman)

bali; ba-li-be; ru-h; ru-ú

2.230

male

ba-li-na

2.240

female

mu-h-ti-ir-ri; mu-h-ti-be; mu-tur

2.251

young man (adolescent)

pu-hu

2.261

young woman (adolescent)

pu-h

2.270

child

pu-hi-e; ma-ul; ma-ul-li

2.280

infant, baby

zin; zí-in

2.320

wife

ir-ti-ri; ri-tu; ri-ti; ru-tu; ru-tú; mu-tar; mu-ti

2.350

father

atta; ad-da; at-ta

2.360

mother

amma; am-ma

2.410

son

pu-hu; ru-hu; šak; ša-ak; šá-ak; šá-ag-gi

2.420

daughter

pak; pa-ak

2.430

offspring (son or daughter)

puhu; pu-hu

2.440

brother

i-gi

2.450

sister

šutu; šu-tú

2.480

grandson

ru-hu.šá-ak-ri

2.510

uncle

eri; e-ri-ri

2.550

cousin

iza; i-za

2.631

son-in-law (of a woman)

iš-ti-ri

2.810

relatives, kinsmen

a-a-ni-ip; a-a-ni-ri

2.910

I

u; ù

2.920

you (singular)

ni; nu

2.942

we (exclusive)

ni-ka; nu-ku

2.950

you (plural)

nu-mi

3.110

animal

kun; ku-un

3.150

livestock

áš; ki-ti

3.160

pasture

ahiš; a-h-iš; ki-bat

3.180

herdsman

ba-at -ir; ku-dúr

3.200

cattle (bovine)

kutu; ku-tu

3.220

ox

pu-up-hi-in

3.240

calf

tila; ti-la

3.250

sheep

hidu; hi-du

3.260

ram

ráp-du; ráp-tam

3.290

lamb

kari; qa-ri; qa-ri-ri

3.350

pig

pap-pi

3.360

goat

kipšu; kupši; ki-ip-ši; ki-ip-šu; ku-ip-šu; šá-h-ši-ik-me-me

3.370

he-goat

kumaš; ku-maš

3.380

kid

pitu; pi-tú; pi-tu

3.410

horse (equine)

lakpilan; lak-pi-la-an

3.450

foal, colt

dudu; du-du; du-ud-du

3.460

ass, donkey

du-ip; tranku; it-ra-an-ku; ši-ši

3.470

mule

paha; pa-ha

3.500

fowl

zamama; za-ma-ma

3.540

hen

rum; ru-um

3.560

goose

hi-pu-ur; ip-pu-ur

3.570

duck

šu-da-ba

3.580

nest

hu-pi-e

3.581

bird

ti-ut

3.584

eagle

ba-zi-zi; ba-iz-zí-zí

3.592

parrot

qa-iš-ba-h

3.610

dog

hal-ki-ni

3.710

wolf

duma; du-ma

3.780

camel

zibbaru; zib-ba-ru

3.815

scorpion

lahi; la-hi

3.840

worm

za-na-bu-na

3.850

snake

šin; ši-in-pi; šim-bi

4.120

skin, hide

ha-te-en

4.130

flesh

i-iš-ti

4.140

hair (head)

*ku-na; še-e

4.150

blood

san; sa-an

4.170

horn

kassu; qa-as-su; kás-su

4.200

head

ukku; uk-ku; uk-gi; ukku.e

4.210

eye

el; el-ti

4.220

ear

siri; si-ri

4.230

nose

ši-um-me; šim.e

4.260

tongue

tit; ti-ut

4.270

tooth

sihhan; si-h-ha

4.280

neck

ti-pi

4.330

hand

kir-; kur-; ki-ir-pi; kur-pi

4.344

fingernail

pur; pu-ur

4.370

foot

pat; ba-at; pa-at

4.393

feather

putmaš; pu-ut-ma-áš

4.440

heart

buni; bu-ni

4.450

liver

ru-el-pa-mín

4.490

testicle

ruku; ru-ku

4.720

born (to be)

kuši-; ku-ši-in; ku-ši-iš

4.732

conceive

du-; du-h; du-iš; duk

4.740

live, living, life

ta-ak-me; da-ak-ki-me; ta-ak-ki-me

4.750

die, dead

halpi-; hal-pi-ik; hal-pi-ip; la-ha-an

4.810

strong, mighty, powerful

ib-ba-ak; šilha-; šil-ha-h; ši-il-ha-ak; ši-il-me

4.820

weak

iš-tuk-ra

4.852

bruise

ha-pi

4.860

cure, heal

si-it-ti; si-it-me

4.880

medicine, drug

qa-pu-ur

5.120

food

ab-be-be

5.230

roast, fry

kura-; ku-ra-at; ku-ra-ak

5.340

pitcher, jug

piti; pi-ti

5.370

spoon

ki-mal-tam

5.380

knife (2)

du-šu-um-ya; du-ši-um; du-ši-um-ir-ra

5.510

bread

ši-ip-ru-um; ši-ip-ri-um

5.550

meal, flour

e-ul; u-ma-ma

5.710

fruit

hurpi; hu-ur-pi; zib-ba

5.750

fig

pi-ut-

5.760

grape

šá-ap-pan-na; šap

5.790

oil

appi; ap-pi

5.791

grease, fat

abba; ab-ba

5.810

salt

anzi; an-zí

5.840

honey

hal -la -ki

5.860

milk (noun)

sir-na

5.880

cheese

pa

5.940

fermented drink

an-na-in

6.130

tailor

šá-h-ši-ik-ra

6.210

cloth

tam-ši-um; ik-tin

6.220

wool

tuk-ki-me; tuk-na; im-na

6.230

linen, flax

zali; za-li

6.240

cotton

qa-li-tam

6.270

felt

da-bar-ri-um

6.290

leather

šá-ir-šá-at-ti

6.330

weave

kurza-; kur-za-iš; kur-za-qa

6.410

cloak

uk-ku-la-ki

6.430

coat

hu-el-ip

6.510

shoe

ha-šá-ir

6.550

hat, cap

uk-ku.ba-ti

6.580

glove

kur-ip

6.710

ornament, adornment

qa-ar-ra-h; qa-ar-ra-ha

6.730

ring (for finger)

šà-mi; si-mi-it-tum

6.910

comb

ah-hu-um; a-h-hu-im

6.940

ointment

hasu; ha-su-ip; mi-ir-ri-h

6.960

mirror

šu-ha; šu-ha.zi-la

7.120

house

a-a-in; a-hi-in; ha-a-in; a-i-in; a-a-ni

7.150

yard, court

tu-uš; ulhi; ul-hi

7.220

door, gate

hu-el; hi-el; el; e-el; e-ul; ú-el; lu-gu-ú

7.221

doorpost, jamb

hal-ti; ha-al-te-te

7.250

window

ku-un-nir

7.270

wall

te-ip-ta; hu-hu-un

7.320

stove

ku-ra-am-ma; ku-ra-na

7.422

blanket

gi-ut-máš-te; gi-ut-máš-ti

7.450

lamp, torch

hun; hu-ni-ir; hu-un-pu

7.510

roof

a-ri; ku-uk; me-nu-me

7.550

beam

te-ti

7.560

post, pole

šali; ša-li

7.570

board

šil-tur

7.620

brick

e-ri-en-tum; ú-ri-en-tu; hu-us-si-ip; ú-pa-at

8.120

field (for cultivation)

hal-la

8.130

garden

ya-ad-da

8.210

plow

āpi-; a-a-pi-h

8.240

shovel

atti; at-ti; šullu; šu-ul-lu

8.250

hoe

at-ti

8.311

seed

par; pa-ar

8.410

crop, harvest

hal-te-me; šu-lu-um

8.420

grain (barley, oats etc)

tarmi; tarmu; tar-mi; tar-mu; mu-ša-al-lu

8.430

wheat

ši-man

8.440

barley

kur-ru-sa; nu

8.570

flower

mi-ik-ki-ma

8.760

sap

in-na-in; mu-ul-li; mi-el; mi-ul

9.110

do, make

huta-; hu-ud-da; hu-taš; hu-tan-ki; hu-ut-táh; hu-ut-te-eš

9.160

tie, bind

rabba-; ra-ab-ba-h; ráb-ba-qa

9.190

rope, cord

šá-am

9.210

strike (hit, beat)

halpi-; halpu-; hal-pu-h; hal-pi-ya

9.220

cut

máš-áš; šahši-; šá-h-ši-qa

9.250

ax

ipiš; i-pi-iš; hi-pi-is

9.330

pull

sa-; sa-h

9.430

carpenter

be-la-ti-ra; kiš-ki-ip-man-na

9.440

build

kuši-; ku-ši-ha; ku-si-iš; ku-ši-ik

9.460

bore

du-li-ib-be

9.480

saw

el-pi

9.490

hammer

sa-el

9.500

nail

sikti; zikti; si-ik-ti; zik-ti-ip

9.600

smith, blacksmith

kás-zí-ra

9.610

forge

kassa-; kassi-; kazza-; kazzi-; qa-as-si-it-ri; qa-az-za-ak

9.630

cast (metals)

šari-; ša-ri-h

9.640

gold

la-an-si-ti-e; la-áš-da

9.650

silver

lani; la-a-ni

9.660

copper, bronze

e-ri-ni; sa-h; sa-hi-i; si-hi-kak

9.670

iron

har-gi; har-ki-an-na

9.680

lead (noun)

ri-kur

9.690

tin, tinplate

a-na-ku

9.730

clay

halat; ha-la-at

9.760

basket

še-ri-it

9.771

rug

za-ba-ar

9.890

paint (vb)

karsu-; kar-su-iš-da; kar-su-qa

10.252

catch (ball)

mari-; ma-ri-h; ma-ri-en-t

10.450

walk

pari-; uzzu-; uz-zu-un; uz-zu-un-ta

10.480

come

izzi-; iz-zí-iš; šinni-; šinnu-; ši-in-nu-ik; ši-in-nu

10.610

carry (bear)

kuti-; ku-ti-na; ku-ti-šá

10.620

bring

tela-; te-la-ak-ni; te-la-ni-li

10.630

send

da-; da-an-da; da-h

10.660

ride

te-li-nu-ip

10.710

road

ba-u; bar-du; hu-te

10.780

yoke

za-ap-pan

11.130

take

duma; du-ma; du-ma-iš

11.210

give

duna-; duni-; du-ni-h; du-ni-ha; du-na-áš; du-na-qa; li-; li-h; li-ik

11.240

preserve, look after

kutu-; ku-tu-un; ku-tu-uš-li

11.270

destroy

sari-; sa-ri-h; sa-ri-in-ti

11.320

find

bakka-; ba-ak-qa-h

11.510

rich

sir

11.640

debt

a-h-da-a

11.650

pay (vb)

un-sa-ha; un-sa-iš; za-ag-gi-iš

11.780

wages

te-um-be; ha-nu

11.870

price

šá-ak-ki-me; šá-ak-ki-mi; šá-gi-me

12.11

behind

ki-ik; me-mi; me-ni

12.110

place

kate; qa-te; qa-te-ma

12.120

put

bela-; pela-; be-la; be-ip-la; da-; ta-; ta-at; da-h

12.220

join, unite

ta-rí-ir; ta-ri-ip

12.240

open

te-iš; tu-um-ba-h

12.250

shut, close

kappa-; kap-pa-iš

12.40

before

tibbe; ti-ib-ba

12.41

front

ti-ib-ba; si-ma

12.440

far (adv)

šá-da-ni-qa

12.450

east

ha-tin; ha-te-um-me

12.460

west

šu-tin

12.50

inside, in

a-ti-in; a-ti-ra; ha-ti

12.550

large, big

azza-; hazza-; az-za-qa; ha-iz-za-ik-qa; ha-za-qa; rša-; ir-šá-na; ri-ša-ar

12.560

small, little

tila; ti-la

12.60

outside

ki-du-ú-ya; ki-du-ur; ki-du-um-ma; ki-du

12.650

thin (in dimension)

zikki; zik-ki

12.670

deep

du-šá-ra-ma

12.70

under

šá-ra

12.710

flat

ma-šu-um

12.730

straight

iš-tur-rák-qa

12.810

round

irpi; ir-pi

12.820

circle

pur; pu-ur

12.830

sphere, ball

še-be

13.10

one

ki; ki-ik; ki-ir

13.140

every, all

un-ra

13.150

much, many

ir-še-ik-ki

13.170

little (quantity), few

ha-ri-ik-ki

13.20

two

mar; ma-ir; mar-ra

13.210

full

huh; hu-úh

13.230

part, piece

áš

13.240

half

pír-ni; pír-nu-šu; pír-nu-ba

13.30

three

ziti; zí-ti

13.340

first

ap-pu-qa-na

13.370

pair

tuk

13.50

five

*tu-ku

14.110

time

da-la-ri; dalar.e

14.140

young

puhu.na; pu-hu-na; pu-u-na; pu-un-na

14.150

old

kara; qa-ra

14.160

early

irpi; urpu-; ir-pi; ur-pu-ub-ba; ap-pu-qa

14.170

late

maš-šá; me-šá

14.180

now

a-am; am

14.260

end (temporal)

mur

14.270

finish

tar-ma; tar-maš

14.310

always

a-ka-da

14.332

long-time (for a)

me-ul-li

14.350

again

ki-qa

14.410

day

na; nan:; na-an-me; na-an-na

14.420

night

ši-ut-ma-na; šu-ut-me; šu-ut-ti-me

14.460

evening

te-man; ki-in-na-ra

14.710

month

na-na-me-na; si-in

14.730

year

pi-el; be-ul

15.350

sweet

tena; te-na; hal-ki; halki

15.380

acid, sour

lu-lu-ki; lu-lu-qa

15.410

hear

hap-; ha-ap-hu; ha-ap-ti

15.460

quiet, silence

šà-na

15.510

see

siya-; ziya-; si-ya-nu-un; si-ya-h; si-ya-áš-na; zí-ya

15.550

show

šammi-; ša-am-me-iš; ša-am-mi-iš-ta

15.640

white

ši-mi-ut

15.670

blue

da-ban-ti-na

15.680

green

hu-la-ap-na; hu-ra-ap-na

15.690

yellow

šu-un-ti-na

15.810

heavy

ab-ba-ra

15.840

dry

zí-ti-qa

16.180

good fortune, luck

šá-da; šá-ud-da; ši-ri; šu-ru; šu-ri-na

16.230

joyful, glad, happy

tan-na-am-me

16.270

love

hani-; ha-ni-eš; ha-ni-ik; ha-ni-in; ha-ni-me

16.510

dare

qa-du-uk-qa

16.530

fear, fright

ipši; ip-ši-ip; ip-ši-iš

16.650

faithful

ha-mi-ti; ha-mi-it

16.660

true

siri; si-ri

16.670

lie, tell lies

tit-; ti-ti-ip; ti-ut-ki-um-me

16.710

good

a-a; ba-ha

16.720

bad

muš-nu-ik

16.790

praise

hi-šá

16.810

beautiful

ši-iš-ni

17.130

think (= reflect)

lma-; el-ma; el-man-da; el-man-ti; ul-ma

17.150

believe

uri-; u-ri-iš

17.170

know

turna-; tur-nah; tur-na-u-ut

17.450

need, necessity

me-en

17.510

and

ayak; a-ak; ya-ak

17.520

because

appa; ap-pa

17.530

if

an-ka; an-qa

17.560

no, negative

in-gi; in-na; im-ma; in-ni

17.610

how?

ap-pa

17.640

what?

appa; ap-pa

17.660

where?

mur; mu-ur

17.670

which?

akka; ag-ga; ak-ka; ak-qa

18.210

speak, talk

turi; turu-; tu-ru-nu-un-ki; tu-ru-h; tur-ri-qa

18.220

say

tiri-; turu-; ti-ri-in-ri; ti-ri; tu-ru-uk; tu-ru-un

18.260

word

šukkit; šu-uk-ki-it

18.280

name

hiš; hi-iš

18.360

promise

kulla-; ku-ul-la-h

18.410

call (=summon)

kulla-; ku-ul-la-h; ku-ul-la-hu

18.510

write

dallu-; tallu-; ta-al-lu-h; da-al-lu-ha; ta-al-lu-h-šu

18.520

read

bera-; pera-; be-ra-an; be-ip-ra-an-ti; be-ip-rák

19.110

country

hal; ha-al

19.150

city, town

a-al

19.210

people (populace)

taš-šu-up; taš-šu-íp; hu-úr-du

19.230

tribe, clan

ah-pi; a-h-pi

19.320

king, ruler

sunki; zunki; su-gìr; su-kip; su-un-gìr; su-un-ki-ir; su-un-ki-ip; su-un-ki-kip

19.410

master

ðimpti; si-im-it; te-im-ti; te-ip-ti; mu-uk-ti

19.420

slave

li-ba-um-me; šá-u-lu-be

19.430

servant

liba-; li-ba-ir

19.440

freeman

šalu.r; šá-lu-ur

19.450

command, order

me-el; gi-il; šera-; še-ra-h; še-ra-h-ši

19.510

friend, companion

duk-ti-ir; kán-ir-ra

19.520

enemy

beti; bi-ti-ir; pi-ti-ir; be-ti; be-it-ra

19.580

help, aid

ta-; taš; táh-ha-an-ta; táh-ha-an-te

20.110

fight (vb)

be-ut

20.140

peace

gugu; gu-gu

20.150

army

hi-it

20.210

weapons, arms

ul-ki-na

20.220

club

šá-li-mi

20.240

bow

qa-am-ban

20.250

arrow

ti-ut-ti-um; hi-iš-ki; sa-h

20.260

spear

šu-kur-ru-um

20.330

helmet

kar-ik

20.410

victory

me-te

20.480

booty, spoils

pu-uk-ri-ir

21.110

law

šu-du-ur; šu-tur

21.230

witness

gini; ginu; gi-ni-ip; gi-ni-pi; gi-nu-ip

21.240

swear

gi-ri-ip; gi-ri

21.520

thief

tu-uš-šu-íp

22.120

God

nap; nab; na-ap; na-ab-ba; na-ap-pi; na-bí-ip

22.150

sacrifice, offering

dala; da-la

22.180

priest

šà-ti; šá-tin; šá-tan

22.190

holy, sacred

ak-pi; ak-pi-ip

22.310

heaven

kik; ki-ki-in; ki-ki-ip; ki-ik

 

 

I, for one, totally fail to understand how any honest scholar, examining the above list, can possibly feel that there is any scope of connections between any of the basic Elamite words in the above list with their Dravidian counterparts, let alone any scope for claiming that Elamite and Dravidian belong to one language family and that the Dravidian languages migrated from Elam to India at any conceivable time in the past. However many “similarities” anyone may be capable of trying to drum up between the two, can two languages allegedly related to each other as members of one language family develop such totally unconnectable lists of basic words as Elamite in the above list and Proto-Dravidian in any reconstructed list of words with the same meanings, both languages being more or less contemporaneous ones in the ancient past? Simple common sense should give the answer.

[For those who would notice that the Elamite and Dravidian words for “you” are both ni, it may be pointed out that the Chinese and the Navajo (American Indian) words for “you” are also ni. Such coincidences do not prove relationships within a language family].