Abstract
Recent studies have taken advantage of computational techniques to investigate the evolution of Indo-European languages. However, these methods are not able to overcome the time constraints on lexical evolution, which limit a broader application of the Classical Comparative Method, and therefore cannot be used above the family level. For this reason, evidence from cross-family relationships must come from other domains (e.g. phonetics). Longobardi and Guardiano (2009) shows that another domain, syntax, is a potential source for cross-family comparison. In this paper, we evaluate the method proposed in L&G (2009), the PCM, and argue through a random generation of possible grammars that syntactic distances can be useful to detect signals of historical relatedness above the Indo-European level.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Publication status | Published - 19 May 2016 |
Event | The 3rd Formal Ways of Analyzing Variation conference (FWAV3) - New York, United States Duration: 18 May 2016 → 19 Nov 2016 |
Conference
Conference | The 3rd Formal Ways of Analyzing Variation conference (FWAV3) |
---|---|
Country/Territory | United States |
City | New York |
Period | 18/05/16 → 19/11/16 |
Keywords
- SYNTAX
- Historical Linguistics
- PHYLOGENETIC COMPARATIVE ANALYSES