Glottochronology

Glottochronology was a linguistics method used to estimate the time of divergence of two related languages. It is analogous to the use of C14 dating for measuring the age of organic materials, in that a "lexical half-life" is estimated and used to extrapolate to the point in time at which a given two languages diverged from a common proto-language.

Related Topics:
Linguistics - C14 dating - Half-life - Proto-language

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The method presumes that the core vocabulary of a language is replaced at a constant (or near constant) rate, and therefore can be used to measure the passage of time. The process makes use of the Swadesh list, a list of basic lexical terms compiled by Morris Swadesh. This core vocabulary was designed to encompass concepts common to every human language, eliminating concepts that vary by culture and time. Lexicostatistics used the percentage of cognates (words that have a common origin) in "basic word lists". The larger the percentage of cognates, the more recently the two languages being compared are presumed to have separated.

Related Topics:
Swadesh list - Morris Swadesh - Cognate

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Glottochronology is no longer considered a valid technique by mainstream linguists, because there is no evidence to support the assumption that language change occurs at a steady rate, and much evidence to support the idea that languages change alternately very slowly and very quickly. There is no contemporary literature in favor of glottochronology.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~