On Being Right: Greenberg’s African Linguistic Classification and the Methodological Principles which Underlie it

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Date

1995

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West African Languages Insitute, Indiana University

Abstract

Description

This study examines and elucidates the methodology of Joseph H. Greenberg used in his classic classification of African languages. Topics discussed include (1) lumpers versus splitters, (2) the question of proof , (3) the signifiance of sound correspondences and the Comparative Method, (4) the importance of vocabulary vs. morphology, and (5) the method of mass comparison. The study contains an extensive bibliography.

Keywords

African Languages, Joesph H. Greenberg, language classification, mass comparison

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Book