Comparative Methodology

[LV Hayes]

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
This is a request for information.

I'm trying to determine the steps that would be followed in a full
implementation of comparative methodology.  I've searched the web,
including the archives of this e-list, and found nothing helpful.  I have a
half dozen or more historical linguistics textbooks, as well as other books
and articles that contain pertinent information, to include books that
present the results of applications of comparative methodology, but none of
these sources answer all of my questions about what the procedural steps of
such an implementation should be.

The purpose of such an implementation would be to compare 2 or more
languages in order to determine if they are genetically related and if so
to reconstruct their ancestral language.

As I understand things at this point, the process appears to be divisible
into at least the following phases:

1) Data collection.
2) Data analysis.
3) Application of the comparative method.
4) Reconstruction
5) Presentation.

Each of these phases may logically comprise one or more steps.  For
example, phase 1 would include as Step 1 the collection of raw linguistic
material on the target languages.  Such material might include
dictionaries, lexicons, or word lists, if one has to depend on published
sources or the unpublished work of others, or language data that the
comparatist collects personally in the field.  Step 2 of this phase would
entail a search of the available linguistic material for data useful to the
project.  It would also include compilation of a list of lexemes that are
potentially cognate.

I could go on and cite the steps that I think should be included in the
other phases, but I am interested in seeing what the ideas of others are on
this matter.

Collection of this information is primarily to fulfill my personal interest
in learning more about comparative methodology, but if a suitable result is
obtained, I will make it available on my personal web page for others to
consult (and hopefully to find via their own web searches).

LV Hayes
lvhayes at worldnet.att.net