9.13 COMPARATIVE-HISTORICAL METHODS IN LINGUISTICS: DECIPHERING THE GENETIC CODE OF LANGUAGE
Abstract
Comparative-historical linguistics, a cornerstone of linguistic research, explores the evolution and relationships between languages through comparative analysis. This article delves into the methodology, principles, and applications of these methods, highlighting their role in reconstructing ancestral languages, tracing language change, and understanding the complexities of language families. The discussion examines key concepts such as cognates, sound laws, and the reconstruction of Proto-languages, illustrating them with examples from diverse language families like Indo-European, Uralic, and Altaic.
Keywords: Comparative linguistics, historical linguistics, etymology, language change, proto-language, language family, reconstruction, Indo-European, Uralic, Altaic, cognates, sound laws, regular sound change, comparative method, internal reconstruction, language contact, areal linguistics.
Introduction:
The study of language change and its historical evolution is a fundamental aspect of linguistics, offering crucial insights into the nature of human communication and its development across time and space. Comparative-historical methods provide a rigorous framework for tracing the historical lineages of languages and reconstructing their ancestral forms. This approach relies on the principle that languages share common origins and have undergone systematic changes, leaving behind clues that can be deciphered through comparative analysis.
Principles of Comparative-Historical Linguistics:
Comparative-historical linguistics rests upon the following key principles:
Genetic Relationship: Languages belonging to the same language family are related through common ancestry, stemming from a shared Proto-language Regular Sound Change: Language change is not random but follows systematic and predictable patterns known as sound laws. These laws govern how sounds evolve over time within a language family.
Cognates: Words that share a common ancestor and have evolved from a single Proto-form are called cognates. They provide crucial evidence for reconstructing ancestral languages and tracing language relationships.
