Comparative Method Essay

15371 Words62 Pages
2. On the Limits of the Comparative Method : The Handbook of Historical Linguistics : Blackwell Reference Online 12/11/2007 03:28 PM 2. On the Limits of the Comparative Method S. P. HARRISON Subject Key-Topics DOI: Linguistics » Historical Linguistics comparative, methods 10.1111/b.9781405127479.2004.00004.x In this chapter, I explore the limits of the comparative method as a tool in comparative historical linguistics.1 Let me be quite clear about one thing from the outset: for me, the comparative method is the sine qua non of linguistic prehistory. I believe that the comparative method is the only tool available to us for determining genetic relatedness amongst languages, in the absence of written records. I believe that prior “successful” application of the comparative method is a prerequisite to any attempt at grammatical comparison and reconstruction. But the comparative method has limitations, determined by the very properties of the method that make it work: i It has relative temporal limitations. The more changes related languages have undergone (in general, a function of time), the less likely the method is to be able to determine relatedness. ii It has sociohistorical limitations. Certain historical situations can have linguistic consequences that vitiate the comparative method. iii It has linguistic domain limitations. Only certain sorts of linguistic objects can be usefully compared and reconstructed using the method. iv It has limitations of “delicacy.” Only genetic relationships up to a certain degree of precision or delicacy can be reliably determined using the method. I discuss each of these types of limitation in turn below. Disagreements and misunderstandings regarding what the comparative method can and cannot do are a continuing (and, some might say, distracting) leitmotif in comparative historical linguistics. The level of disagreement

More about Comparative Method Essay

Open Document