Vasconic substrate hypothesis

He gives the following reasons: Vennemann developed his ideas in a series of papers which were collected in a book called Europa Vasconica–Europa Semitica.

Vasconic is a language family proposed by Vennemann encompassing Basque (its only extant member), Aquitanian, Ligurian, and possibly Iberian and Proto-Sardinian.

As the glaciers retreated, the Vasconics began moving to the north and south, settling most of Western and Central Europe, spreading their language.

[3]: 530–539 [11]: 461 Evidence from genetics and blood types shows that the modern Basque people share physical characteristics with old populations[vague] throughout Western and Central Europe, especially in likely refugia areas, such as mountain ranges.

[15] German linguist Dieter H. Steinbauer argued that it is difficult to argue on the basis of Basque because: Steinbauer also criticized Vennemann for The Bascologist Joseba Lakarra rejects Vennemann's Vasconic etymologies, as he considers them to be incompatible with the current state of research on historical phonology and morphology of Basque.

[18] Harald Bichlmeier points out that Vennemann compares the etymological roots of the toponymy with modern Basque words.

[19]: 424 Jürgen Udolph shows that some of the assumed Vasconic roots are in fact Indo-European like Vennemann's *muna, especially since Proto-Basque lacked word initial /m/.

According to him it is mere speculation to postulate an etymology for similarly appearing toponymy from a vast area without being able to show that they are indeed from the same substratum.

[27] Dieterlen and Bengtson find the distribution of blood factors and haploid groups is convincing evidence for Basque settlement in Western Europe before the Indo-Europeans settled there in line with Vennemann's hypothesis.