# What Relationships are Theorized for "Language Isolates"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-relationships-are-theorized-for-language-isolates/306949>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 5, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-relationships-are-theorized-for-language-isolates/306949 "2005-06-05T01:06:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-relationships-are-theorized-for-language-isolates/306949/21 "2005-06-07T01:05:28Z")

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> [@pasunejen](#):
>
> At least at one time, a relationship between Basque and the Semitic family was posited. I’m not sure how seriously the idea is/was taken.

Another theory proposed that the family of languages closest to Basque was the american Na-Dene… (both, accordin to this hypothesis, would have originated somewhere in Asia. I believe in Siberia. People who went east became the Iroquois and people who went west became the Basques, or somesuch…)

I don’t remember who proposed this hypothesis, but it’s one of these linguists who are trying to establish super-families of languages in a way which doesn’t appear convincing to most of their peers.

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**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-relationships-are-theorized-for-language-isolates/306949/22 "2005-06-07T01:41:35Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> People who went east became the Iroquois and people who went west became the Basques, or somesuch.

That’s a pretty long way west.

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