Abstract
This work reveals the reason for the bias in the separation levels computed for natural languages with only a small amount of residues; as opposed to stochastically normal distributed test cases like those presented in Hohn (2007a). It is shown how these biased data can be correctly projected to true separation levels. The result is a partly new chain of separation for the main Indo-European branches that fits well to the grammatical facts, as well as to their geographical distribution. In particular it strongly demonstrates that the Anatolian languages did not part as first ones and thereby refutes the Indo-Hittite hypothesis.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
CYSOUW, M. (2004): email.eva.mpg.de/ cysouw/pdf/cysouwWIP.pdf
CYSOUW, M., WICHMANN, S. and KAMHOLZ, D. (2006): A critique of the separation base method for genealogical subgrouping, with data from Mixe-Zoquean. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, 13(2-3), 225-264.
EMBLETON, S.M. (1986): Statistics in historical linguistics [Quantitative Linguistics 30]. Brockmeyer, Bochum.
GRZYBEK, P., and R. KÖHLER (Eds). (2007): Exact Methods in the Study of Language and Text [Quantitative Linguistics 62]. De Gruyter Berlin.
HAMP, E.P. (1998): “Whose were the Tocharians? Linguistic subgrouping and Diagnostic Idiosyncrasy” The Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Peoples of Eastern Central Asia. Vol. 1:307-46. Edited by Victor H. Mair. Washington DC: Institute for the Study of Man.
HOLM, H.J. (2000): Genealogy of the Main Indo-European Branches Applying the Separation Base Method. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, 7-2, 73-95.
HOLM, H.J. (2003): The proportionality trap; or: What is wrong with lexicostatistics? In-dogermanische Forschungen 108, 38-46.
HOLM, H.J. (2007a): Requirements and Limits of the Separation Level Recovery Method in Language Subgrouping. In: GRZYBEK, P. and KÖHLER, R. (Eds), Viribus Quantitatis. Exact Methods in the Study of Language and Text. Festschrift Gabriel Altmann zum 75. Geburtstag. Quantitative Linguistics 62. De Gruyter, Berlin.
HOLM, H.J. (to appear 2007b): The new Arboretum of Indo-European “Trees”. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics 14-2.
KENDALL, D.G. (1950): Discussion following Ross, A.S.C., Philological Probability Prob-lems. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Ser. B 12, p. 49f.
POKORNY, J. (1959): Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Francke, Bern.
RIX, H., KÜMMEL, M., ZEHNDER, Th., LIPP, R. and SCHIRMER, B. (2001): Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben. Die Wurzeln und ihre Primärstammbildungen. 2. Aufl. Reichert, Wiesbaden.
SWOFFORD, D.L., OLSEN, G.J., Waddell, P.J., and HILLIS, D.M. (1996): “Phylogenetic Inference”. In: HILLIS, D.M., M. CRAIG, and B.K. MABLE (Eds). Molecular System-atics, Second Edition. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland MA, Chapter 11.
WALDE, A., and J. Pokorny (Ed). (1926-1932): Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der indogerman-ischen Sprachen. de Gruyter, Berlin.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Holm, H.J. (2008). The Distribution of Data in Word Lists and its Impact on the Subgrouping of Languages. In: Preisach, C., Burkhardt, H., Schmidt-Thieme, L., Decker, R. (eds) Data Analysis, Machine Learning and Applications. Studies in Classification, Data Analysis, and Knowledge Organization. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78246-9_74
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78246-9_74
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-78239-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-78246-9
eBook Packages: Mathematics and StatisticsMathematics and Statistics (R0)