How studying the history of language can shape our understanding of it.
The origins and development of historical linguistics
Historical linguistics deals with the study of language change and the development of languages over time. The origins of historical linguistics can be traced back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when European scholars began to systematically compare different languages and explore their relationships.
These early linguists were motivated by the desire to understand the history of language and the relationships between different languages, as well as to establish linguistic methods for comparing languages and reconstructing their earlier forms.
One of the key figures in the development of historical linguistics was the German scholar Franz Bopp, who is often credited with founding the comparative method. The comparative method is a way of comparing the vocabulary, grammar, and sound systems of related languages in order to reconstruct the proto-language from which they evolved.
The Neogrammarian approach
The Neogrammarians were a group of 19th-century linguists who advocated for a new approach to historical linguistics, emphasizing the importance of a scientific approach to the study of language change.
They rejected the idea that language change was driven by arbitrary or mystical forces, and instead argued that language change was subject to regular, predictable laws. The Neogrammarians sought to establish a set of objective criteria for reconstructing proto-languages and for tracing the development of individual languages over time.
The comparative method
The comparative method is a critical tool for reconstructing the histories of related languages and determining their genealogical relationships. In its simplest form, the comparative method involves comparing cognates, or words that have a common origin, across related languages.
For example, English “mother” and German “Mutter” are cognates, and by comparing these words across the two languages, we can deduce that English and German are related and descended from a common ancestor language, Proto-Germanic.
In practice, the comparative method can be much more complex, as it requires scholars to make detailed comparisons across many words and sound changes, and to reconstruct the ancestral forms of words and sounds. It also requires the reconstruction of sound changes that have taken place over time, such as the Great Vowel Shift in English.
The comparative method has proven to be one of the most successful methods for reconstructing the histories of related languages, and it remains an essential tool for historical linguists. However, it does have its limitations, such as the requirement for large amounts of data and the challenge of accurately reconstructing the ancestral forms of words and sounds.
Language families and subfamilies
Language families are groups of languages that share a common ancestry and have developed from a common ancestral language. The study of language families and subfamilies helps linguists to understand the relationships between different languages, how they evolved over time, and how they have spread and changed in different parts of the world.
Language families can be divided into subfamilies, which are groups of languages that share a more recent common ancestry. For example, the Indo-European language family is divided into several subfamilies, including Romance, Germanic, and Slavic.
To determine the relationships between languages, linguists use several methods, including comparative linguistics and the reconstruction of proto-languages. Comparative linguistics involves comparing the vocabulary and grammar of related languages to identify similarities and differences. The reconstruction of proto-languages involves the creation of a hypothetical ancestor language based on the similarities and differences between its descendants.
The rise and fall of glottochronology
Glottochronology was a method for estimating the time of divergence between languages based on the assumption that linguistic change occurs at a constant rate.
It was first introduced in the 1950s by Morris Swadesh, who proposed that certain basic vocabulary items (such as words for body parts, numbers, and relatives) are more resistant to change and that their lexical differences between languages can be used to measure time.
Glottochronology uses a formula to calculate a rate of linguistic change, usually referred to as the “Swadesh rate,” based on the number of changes that have occurred between the languages being compared. The formula assumes that the number of changes in the vocabulary items over time is proportional to the elapsed time since the two languages diverged. This calculation was then used to estimate the amount of time that has passed since the two languages separated.
However, glottochronology has faced significant criticism over the years. One of the main criticisms is that the method assumes a constant rate of linguistic change, which is not supported by empirical evidence. Overall, glottochronology is now largely considered to be very unreliable and is not widely used in the field of historical linguistics.
Semantic drift
Semantic drift is a process of semantic change in which the meaning of a word shifts over time. Semantic drift can involve several different types of changes. Metaphor is a form of semantic drift in which a word is used to refer to something that it does not literally refer to, but that is similar in some way.
For example, the word “foot” was originally used to refer to the body part that allows us to stand and walk, but over time it came to be used metaphorically to refer to the bottom of a page or the base of a mountain as well.
Widening involves a change whereby a word becomes more inclusive in its meaning. For example, the word “deer” originally referred only to the small, European species of deer, but over time it came to include all species of deer.
Narrowing is a change in which a word’s meaning becomes more specific or exclusive. For example, the word “beast” originally referred to any animal, but now it often refers to only wild or dangerous animals.
If a word undergoes amelioration, its meaning becomes more positive. For example, the word “nice” originally meant “stupid” or “foolish,” but now it refers to someone or something that is pleasant, agreeable, or kind. In the course of pejoration, a word’s meaning becomes more negative.
The tree model vs. the wave model
Two main models have been proposed to explain the evolution of languages: the tree model and the wave model. The tree model of the evolution of languages is based on the idea that languages develop in a branching pattern, much like a tree.
In this model, each branch represents a new language that has diverged from a common ancestor. This model assumes that the process of language divergence is gradual and that there is a clear line of descent from an ancestral language to its descendants.
The tree model also assumes that once a language has diverged from its ancestor, the two languages can no longer influence each other and evolve independently. This model is often used to reconstruct the relationships between different language families and subfamilies.
The wave model of the evolution of languages is based on the idea that languages are not only influenced by the languages they have directly evolved from, but also by the languages they have come into contact with.
In this model, language change is seen as a wave of influence that spreads from one language to another. Unlike the tree model, the wave model does not assume a clear line of descent, but rather a more complex pattern of relationships between languages.
The impact of migration and trade on language evolution
Language contact occurs when speakers of different languages come into contact with each other, often as a result of migration, trade, colonialism, or other forms of intercultural exchange.
This contact can have a profound impact on the linguistic landscape, shaping the way that languages evolve and change over time. There are several different ways in which language contact can influence language change.
First, speakers may borrow words, phrases, and even grammar patterns from the other language. This can result in the development of new linguistic features, or the introduction of new words into a language.
Second, when speakers of multiple languages interact, they may switch back and forth between languages, either within the same conversation or even within the same sentence. This can result in the creation of new linguistic forms, or the modification of existing linguistic forms, as speakers mix and match elements from different languages.
Third, when speakers of multiple languages come into contact and are forced to communicate, they may create a new language, known as a creole or “pidgin”. Creoles often emerge in situations of slavery, where speakers from different linguistic backgrounds are forced to communicate with each other. These languages typically blend elements from several different languages, and may also introduce new linguistic features.
Understanding linguistic divergence and convergence
Linguistic divergence refers to the process by which languages gradually become more different from one another over time, while linguistic convergence refers to the process by which languages become more similar to one another.
Linguistic divergence is a natural and inevitable process that occurs as languages are passed down from generation to generation and as they are used in different social and cultural contexts.
Over time, changes in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and other linguistic features can lead to the development of distinct dialects and eventually, separate languages.
On the other hand, linguistic convergence is a process by which languages become more similar to one another. This can occur as a result of language contact, which occurs when speakers of different languages interact with one another and their languages begin to influence one another.
For example, if two languages are spoken in close proximity to one another, the speakers of the two languages may begin to adopt vocabulary or grammar from one another, leading to the development of a pidgin language. This process of linguistic convergence can also occur through language transfer, which is the process by which a speaker of one language acquires and uses elements of another language.
Phylogenetic methods in historical linguistics
Phylogenetic methodology in historical linguistics is an approach that uses evolutionary biology and computational tools to reconstruct the genealogy of languages.
This method is based on the assumption that languages change over time, just like biological organisms, and that these changes can be used to infer evolutionary relationships between languages.
These methods use a set of language data, such as vocabulary lists, and phonological and grammatical features, and compare them to reconstruct the evolutionary tree of languages.
The aim is to find the most likely evolutionary history of the languages being studied based on the similarities and differences among them.
In order to reconstruct the evolutionary tree, researchers first need to create a set of language data, usually a vocabulary list, and then compare this data across languages to find similarities and differences. The next step is to apply computational methods to this data to construct the evolutionary tree, which is a graphical representation of the relationships between languages over time.
