Australian Languages: Classification and the comparative method

Australian Languages: Classification and the comparative method
ISBN-10
9027295115
ISBN-13
9789027295118
Series
Australian Languages
Category
Language Arts & Disciplines
Pages
377
Language
English
Published
2004-03-18
Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing
Authors
Claire Bowern, Harold Koch

Description

This book addresses controversial issues in the application of the comparative method to the languages of Australia which have recently come to international prominence. Are these languages ‘different’ in ways that challenge the fundamental assumptions of historical linguistics? Can subgrouping be successfully undertaken using the Comparative Method? Is the genetic construct of a far-flung ‘Pama-Nyungan’ language family supportable by classic methods of reconstruction? Contrary to increasingly established views of the Australian scene, this book makes a major contribution to the demonstration that traditional methods can indeed be applied to these languages. These studies, introduced by chapters on subgrouping methodology and the history of Australian linguistic classification, rigorously apply the comparative method to establishing subgroups among Australian languages and justifying the phonology of Proto-Pama-Nyungan. Individual chapters can profitably be read either for their contribution to Australian linguistic prehistory or as case studies in the application of the comparative method.

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