Evidence for syntax as a signal of historical relatedness

G. Longobardi; C. Guardiano

doi:10.1016/j.lingua.2008.09.012

Evidence for syntax as a signal of historical relatedness

G. Longobardi, C. Guardiano

Language and Linguistic Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

In addition to its theoretical impact, the development of molecular biology has brought about the possibility of extraordinary historical progress in the study of phylogenetic classification of different species and human populations (especially cf. Cavalli Sforza et al., 1994, among others). We argue that parametric analyses of grammatical diversity in theoretical linguistics, stemming from Chomsky (1981), can prompt analogous progress in the historical classification of language families, by showing that abstract syntactic properties are reliable indicators of phylogenetic relations. The pursuit of this approach radically questions the traditional belief in the orthogonality of grammatical typology and language genealogy, broadly supporting Nichols’ (1992) program, and ultimately contributes to establishing formal grammar as a population science and historical linguistics as an important part of cognitive inquiry.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1679-1706
Number of pages	28
Journal	Lingua
Volume	119
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2008.09.012
Publication status	Published - Nov 2009

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002438410800171X

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Evidence for syntax as a signal of historical relatedness

Abstract

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