re : 5 . 1470 open letter to _ language _ dear colleagues . i also wish to request at least a review of the work * opyt sravnenija nostraticheskix jazykov * of the late v . m . illich - svitych . right now there are folks very much interested in the idea of * nostratic hypothesis * . i am one of those . dr . jacob caflisch , sr . theoretical linguistics & slavics sometime director , polish program univ . of south florida tampa 33620 .