Article
History in Support of Synchrony
Berkeley Linguistics Society
(2004)
Abstract
In a recent paper I argued that diachronic linguistics can explain certain typological phenomena that are otherwise problematic; in the present paper I want to discuss two other ways the study of historical data can contribute to synchronic linguistics. In 1 I argue that consideration of a prior stage of a language offers the kind of insight also provided by the examination of closely related languages. In 2 I show that diachronic data offer a way of testing hypotheses and claims.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2004
Publisher Statement
Part I, translated as “Ist’oria sinkroniis mxardasač’erad, I”, was published also in Enatmecnierebis Sak’itxebi [Questions of Linguistics] 1-2.2006, pp. 81-88, a journal published at Tbilisi State University, Republic of Georgia. Part II is to appear in the next number of this journal.
Citation Information
Alice Carmichael Harris. "History in Support of Synchrony" Berkeley Linguistics Society Vol. 30 (2004) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/alice_harris/15/