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Phylogenetic methods and the prehistory of languages Edited by Peter Forster & Colin Renfrew M�DONALD INSTITUTE MONOGRAPHS
Phylogenetic methods and the prehistory of languages
Edited by Peter Forster & Colin Renfrew
M�DONALD INSTITUTE MONOGRAPHS
Published by:
McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge, UK CB2 3ER (0)(1223) 339336 (0)(1223) 333538 (General Office) (0)(1223) 333536 (FAX) [email protected]
Distributed by Oxbow Books United Kingdom: Oxbow Books, Park End Place, Oxford, OX1 1HN, UK. Tel: (0)(1865) 241249; Fax: (0)(1865) 794449; www.oxbowbooks.com USA: The David Brown Book Company, P.O. Box 511, Oakville, CT 06779, USA. Tel: 860-945-9329; Fax: 860-945-9468
ISBN-10: 1-902937-33-3ISBN-13: 978-1-902937-33-5
ISSN: 1363-1349 (McDonald Institute)
© 2006 McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmi�ed, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.
Edited for the Institute by Chris Scarre (Series Editor) and Dora A. Kemp (Production Editor).
Cover illustration: The 10th-century Skarthi stone from Schleswig displaying Danish runes (Chapter 11) against a reconstructed tree of Indo-European languages (Chapter 14). (Skarthi stone courtesy of the Viking Museum Haithabu in Schleswig.)
Printed and bound by Short Run Press, Bi�ern Rd, Sowton Industrial Estate, Exeter, EX2 7LW, UK.
This volume is dedicated to
Isidore Dyena pioneer in the
systematic multilateral analysis of language relationships
v
C�������Contributors viiFigures ixTables x Introduction 1 C���� R������ � P���� F������
Part I Classification Chapter 1 Malagasy Language as a Guide to Understanding Malagasy History 11 R����� E. D����
Chapter 2 Rapid Radiation, Borrowing and Dialect Continua in the Bantu Languages 19 C���� J. H����� � R������ D. G���
Chapter 3 Multilateral Comparison and Significance Testing of the Indo-Uralic Question 33 B���� K������ � A������ L������� Chapter 4 Bantu Classification, Bantu Trees and Phylogenetic Methods 43 L��� M�����
Chapter 5 Quasi-cognates and Lexical Type Shi�s: Rigorous Distance Measures for Long-range Comparison 57 J������ N������
Chapter 6 Phylogenetic Analysis of Wri�en Traditions 67 M������ S������, H������ F. W������, A����� C. B�������, E�������� A. D������� � C���������� J. H���
Chapter 7 A Stochastic Model of Language Evolution that Incorporates Homoplasy and Borrowing 75 T���� W�����, S����� N. E����, D����� R���� � L��� N������ Part II Chronology Chapter 8 How Old is the Indo-European Language Family? Illumination or More Moths to the Flame? 91 Q������ D. A������� � R������ D. G���
Chapter 9 Radiation and Network Breaking in Polynesian Linguistics 111 D���� B����� Chapter 10 Inference of Divergence Times as a Statistical Inverse Problem 119 S����� N. E����, D����� R���� � T���� W����� Chapter 11 Evolution of English Basic Vocabulary within the Network of Germanic Languages 131 P���� F������, T����� P����� � A��� R��� Chapter 12 Convergence in the Formation of Indo-European Subgroups: Phylogeny and Chronology 139 A����� G������
Chapter 13 Why Linguists Don’t Do Dates: Evidence from Indo-European and Australian Languages 153 A���� M�M���� � R����� M�M����
vi
Chapter 14 Quantifying Uncertainty in a Stochastic Model of Vocabulary Evolution 161 G���� K. N������� � R������ D. G��� Chapter 15 Estimating Rates of Lexical Replacement on Phylogenetic Trees of Languages 173 M��� P���� � A����� M���� Chapter 16 Interdisciplinary Indiscipline? Can Phylogenetic Methods Meaningfully be Applied to Language Data — and to Dating Language? 183 P��� H�������
Glossary 195
