Reconstructing the origin of language families and variation
(2022) In Oxford Handbooks- Abstract
- The chapter looks at language variation and change, and the relation of these processes to language reconstruction and classification. The chapter gives an overview of theories, models, methods, and data, describing how diversity and variation is modelled and measured for reconstruction and classification within traditional, comparative and statistical, evolutionary, or phylogenetic methods. First, the chapter identifies the basic principles of language change and the way in which these differ within various subdomains of language. A second part delves into the outcomes of change, describing the diverse results of sound change, lexical change, and typological/morphosyntactic change. Here, important aspects include the inherent propensity... (More)
- The chapter looks at language variation and change, and the relation of these processes to language reconstruction and classification. The chapter gives an overview of theories, models, methods, and data, describing how diversity and variation is modelled and measured for reconstruction and classification within traditional, comparative and statistical, evolutionary, or phylogenetic methods. First, the chapter identifies the basic principles of language change and the way in which these differ within various subdomains of language. A second part delves into the outcomes of change, describing the diverse results of sound change, lexical change, and typological/morphosyntactic change. Here, important aspects include the inherent propensity of change, the role of arbitrariness, the role of systems, horizontal transfer, and the outcome of change at macro-levels. Finally, the chapter deals with the issue of the ontological status of the reconstruction, and how various theoretical approaches may affect the interpretation of results. The chapter reviews results and controversies arising from current research. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/149200d9-35d3-4094-8660-882d50085af3
- author
- Carling, Gerd LU ; Cathcart, Chundra LU and Round, Erich
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- language change, comparative method, evolutionary methods, phylogenetics, language classification, language variation, language reconstruction
- host publication
- The Oxford Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution
- series title
- Oxford Handbooks
- editor
- Gontier, Nathalie ; Lock, Andy and Sinha, Chris
- publisher
- Oxford University Press
- ISBN
- 9780198813781
- DOI
- 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198813781.013.34
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 149200d9-35d3-4094-8660-882d50085af3
- date added to LUP
- 2017-11-17 09:55:33
- date last changed
- 2022-03-24 14:35:06
@inbook{149200d9-35d3-4094-8660-882d50085af3,
abstract = {{The chapter looks at language variation and change, and the relation of these processes to language reconstruction and classification. The chapter gives an overview of theories, models, methods, and data, describing how diversity and variation is modelled and measured for reconstruction and classification within traditional, comparative and statistical, evolutionary, or phylogenetic methods. First, the chapter identifies the basic principles of language change and the way in which these differ within various subdomains of language. A second part delves into the outcomes of change, describing the diverse results of sound change, lexical change, and typological/morphosyntactic change. Here, important aspects include the inherent propensity of change, the role of arbitrariness, the role of systems, horizontal transfer, and the outcome of change at macro-levels. Finally, the chapter deals with the issue of the ontological status of the reconstruction, and how various theoretical approaches may affect the interpretation of results. The chapter reviews results and controversies arising from current research.}},
author = {{Carling, Gerd and Cathcart, Chundra and Round, Erich}},
booktitle = {{The Oxford Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution}},
editor = {{Gontier, Nathalie and Lock, Andy and Sinha, Chris}},
isbn = {{9780198813781}},
keywords = {{language change; comparative method; evolutionary methods; phylogenetics; language classification; language variation; language reconstruction}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Oxford University Press}},
series = {{Oxford Handbooks}},
title = {{Reconstructing the origin of language families and variation}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198813781.013.34}},
doi = {{10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198813781.013.34}},
year = {{2022}},
}