cladistics

[Lass, RG, Roger, Prof]

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In reference to Johanna Nichols' and Isidore Dyen's remarks on this
issue. I don't want to blow my own trumpet in public (or do I?), but
there is an idiosyncratic and maybe useful discussion in my
Historical Linguistics and language change (CUP, 1997), in which I
discuss the virtues and problems of cladistic concepts in language
filiation and reconstruction, with references to Hoenigswald and
others.
 
A year later I don't of course believe everything I said, but this
might be a starting point for discussion, and does at least raise the
question of the inter-applicability of biological and linguistics
'inheritance' of characters.
 
Roger Lass
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Roger Lass
Department of Linguistics
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch 7700/South Africa
Tel +(021) 650 3138  Fax +(021) 650 3726