discussion on the hierarchy of language taxons

[Frans Plank]

I'm passing this on on behalf of the sender.  Do include him in your responses.

Frans


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>From: "Yuri Tambovtsev" <yutamb at mail.cis.ru>
>To: <Frans.Plank at UNI-KONSTANZ.DE>
>Subject: discussion on the hierarchy of language taxons
>Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 16:10:43 +0600
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>     Letter to the  Editor Dear colleague  Frans,
>   In my opinion hierarchy of the language  subgroups, groups, families
>and other language taxons is one of the most  global, central, important
>and leading in linguistics. However, linguistics  journals do not bother
>to publish the articles on this burning question.This is  why, I'd like to
>ask you to share with me your opinion on the hierarchy of the  language
>taxons. Or may be, you know a journal which could publish my  article on
>the most global, central, important and leading problem of  linguistics?
>That is the burden of the upper class journal. I noticed that monor  and
>special linguistic journals do not bother to publish articles on general
>problems of linguistics. In my opinion, we should discuss the most
>general and
>burning linguistic issues online. There are some problems  which can only
>be solved and are to be
>solved by the community of world  linguists. It could be done with the
>help of a discussion online  or in some linguistic journal.
>   I think that  linguistics lacks a strict, proper and unambiguous
>definition of the  hierarchy of the sets of languages, which are
>usually called language  branches, subgroups, groups and families. In
>other words, linguistics lacks
>the establishment of the strict, proper and unanimously accepted
>ordered  series of language taxons. In my mind, this series hierarchy
>should begin  with the smallest language taxon (like "a branch of
>languages") and the  biggest one (like "a community of languages").
>Thus, we can propose to  discuss in your journal the hierarchy of the
>language taxons. By the  smallest language taxon we mean the
>language taxon, which includes the least  number of languages. The
>languages in this taxon must be closely connected  or related either
>genetically, or typologically. It is quite logical to  begin with the
>notion of a branch since it is the smallest language taxon.  Actually,
>the smallest is the tightest and the most compact language taxon.
>Therefore, the biggest language taxon ("community of languages")
>may be  the loosest or the least compact one.
>   In fact, we propose to  define the following ordered  series:
>branch;
>subgroup;
>group;
>family;
>unity;
>phylum;
>union;
>community.
>Let  us see how interested the world linguists are in establishing good
>order in  linguistics. Are there any volunteers to discuss the hierarchy
>of language  taxons? If so, please, share your opinions with us
>sending your e-mails to  <mailto:yutamb at hotmail.com>yutamb at hotmail.com
>Remain yours most  sincerely
>Yuri Tambovtsev, Novosibirsk Pedagogical University,
>Novosibirsk, Russia
>