To be clear, I have not quoted out of context. What there is in this particular work, in terms of methods, is well exemplified in the quote: (1) taking some surface forms from various languages (sometimes even from hypothetic constructed states of protolanguages), (2) ‘linking’ these forms together by making some unqualified and unargued claims about various changes that are needed to link these surface forms visually, (3) considering it done.

Just two scraps to exemplify the various problems: “The early initial Basque h is from k, as can be seen from ka-wu, ka’u.” Here CD is guilty of a petitio principii: instead of carefully considering what evidence there might be for linking Basque and Akpafu, he takes forms from Akpafu to argue for a change in Basque! The change (from h > k), moreover, is not argued — it is just stipulated.

Then the next claim: “The a has changed to e in this lexeme.” Here again, the change is not argued, it is simply stipulated. What one needs for positing a sound change is evidence from a large number of roots. Only after assembling large lists of potential cognate (a step wholly overlooked by CD — there is only one list of 10 items on page 113) can one start to establish regular correspondence sets (another step skipped by CD). Only if one can show that X in language A regularly corresponds to Y in language B, a proposed change has some plausibility.

Since ‘Akpafu’ and ‘Euskara’ are not in any way shown to be part of a potential cognate list, and since there are no correspondence sets presented anywhere in the book to justify any of the proposed changes, I cannot but conclude that the author simply has stipulated some outrageous claims without even beginning to prove them. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. This is no evidence at all.

In fairness to Mr. Campbell-Dunn, I must mention that in e-mail correspondence some years ago he noted that “I intend to expand it [the book] soon. [...] I think the prefixes are crucial. My views about these have changed since I wrote the Basque book. So you will eventually get an update.” So perhaps something better awaits us. But in the meantime, I wish to make clear that his claims contain no empirical substance whatever.