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Lexicostatistics Applied to the Historical Development of Three Languages of the Philippines

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Lexicostatistics Applied to the Historical Development of Three Languages of the Philippines Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium Volume 27 Issue 1 Article 7 3-23-2001 Lexicostatistics Applied to the Historical Development of Three Languages of the Philippines Hans Nelson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/dlls BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Nelson, Hans (2001) "Lexicostatistics Applied to the Historical Development of Three Languages of the Philippines," Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium: Vol. 27 : Iss. 1 , Article 7. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/dlls/vol27/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Lexicostatistics Applied to the Historical Development of Three Languages of the Philippines Hans Nelson or years, historical linguists have able for analysis. Thus the lexicostatistic . attempted to classify language family approach is useful for an analysis of the Frelationships using a variety of meth­ languages among the islanders of the ods. One such method is lexicostatistics. Philippines, an area only about the size of "Lexicostatistics ... is a technique that allows New Mexico, with roughly eighty-five to one us to determine the degree of relationship hundred known languages. The approach between two languages by comparing the could be effective for at least roughly catego­ vocabularies of the languages and determin­ rizing and subgrouping these variants. ing the degree of similarity between them" This paper will use lexicostatistics to look (Crowley 1998, 171). Lexicostatistics is used at the historical relations among Tagalog, to determine "(1) time depth (glottochronolo­ Ilokano, and Bikolano, three languages of the gy), (2) subgrouping, and (3) genetic relation­ Philippines, with regard to the wave theory. ship" (Anttila 1972, 397). The vocabulary More specifically, this paper explores used for such comparisons is taken from the whether Tagalog and Ilokano are the most Swadesh list of basic vocabulary. This list of closely related of the three languages being 100 English words, developed by Morris compared. This analysis uses Swadesh's list Swadesh, is an attempt to formulate a list of of 100 basic words. The rate of retention, the lexical items that resist cultural influences rate of cross-linguistic loss, and the dates of and therefore are not easily affected by divergence among the three languages are neighboring languages. Thus, when compar­ also calculated. Additionally, the effective­ ing two languages it is assumed that the ness of glottochronology is examined as it words on the Swadesh list have not changed pertains to effectively finding relationships significantly from their original form within the Austronesian family, more specifi­ (Campbell 2000, 177). cally the major dialects in use on the Campbell and others challenge this Philippine island of Luzon. aspect of lexicostatistic methodology, saying that there is no culture-free basic vocabulary BACKGROUND in a language. But even though there may not be an impenetrable list of culture-free Before proceeding, it will be useful to vocabulary, there are lexical items in a vocab­ consider a few notions in greater detail. We ulary that are less likely to have been bor­ will first consider the contrast in the kind of rowed from other languages (Anttila 1972, questions in which lexicostatistics and glot­ 397). The lexicostatistic approach can, in fact, tochronology are most usefully applied. be useful for subgrouping large language Glottochronology uses word comparisons families that are in close geographic proximi­ between languages for calculating dates of ty with relatively limited lexical data avail- divergence. In doing so, it uses Swadesh's DLLS 2001 46 HANS NELSON list of vocabulary. As previously noted, tics and glottochronological studies, bor­ the Swadesh word list is assumed to be a rowing from languages that are geo­ culture-free, or at least culturally resis­ graphically distant (and thus generally tant, word list that can help determine linguistically distant or unrelated) dimin­ dates of divergence more accurately. ishes accuracy in determining the rela­ While the vocabulary is resistant to tionship between two geographically change, it does slowly change, and it adjacent languages. However borrowing does so at a constant rate that gives some from neighboring languages is expected idea of how long particular languages and not harmful to determining their have been diverging from each other. degree of relation. This is analogous to Carbon C dating Lexicostatistics proves to be an effec­ techniques. Because 14C is radioactive, it tive initial grouping strategy for large has a constant rate of decay, or half-life. language families, though when applied The ratio of 14C to 12C in a particular glottochronologically, its calculations for object can determine its age. Likewise, dates of divergences admittedly seem glottochronological methods are typically arbitrary, without historical evidence to used to show and explore genetic linguis­ support the figures. Lexicostatistics also tic relationships among languages, mean­ proves less a delineator of genetically ing that once their relation is determined, dated family relations than it does of a system is set up in relation to time as geographic family relations. Its main opposed to geography. function is to determine the degree to Glottochronologists try to avoid which items in more than one lexicon are including loanwords in their work. Loan­ related. This method will determine the words, especially from distant, unrelated closeness of the three languages we are regions, contaminate this constant rate of considering. retention. uIt is very important that you It will be useful to further discuss the exclude copied (or borrowed) vocabulary languages under consideration. Tagalog ... as these can make two languages and Ilokano were among the three lan­ appear to be more closely related to each guages selected for comparison due to other than they really are" (Crowley obvious geographic proximity. They 1998, 175). coexist with native speakers of each lan­ In contrast to glottochronology, lexi­ guage separated by only tens of miles. costatistics is, as Anttila states, u a wider After spending time in the Luzon region, field of statistics in the service of histori­ and as a fluent speaker of Tagalog, I cal vocabulary studies" (1972, 396). We became vividly aware of the many differ­ have noted that languages can be des­ ent languages in such a small area. As cribed not only in terms of their genetic one travels the countryside it becomes relation to one another, but also in terms evident to the astute listener that these of their geographic relation, or what languages may well share a branch of the Comrie calls areal relations (1989, 11). The same linguistic tree. Given the geograph­ idea of comparing languages by geo­ ic proximity of Tagalog and Ilokano, I graphic region rather than time depth is became curious as to their origins and termed U wave theory." As noted by one their relationship with one another. Let it scholar: "When no particular linguistic be stated that the three languages chosen, innovation can be given chronological as well as many or even most other lan­ priority, subgrouping results in a brush­ guages spoken in the Philippines, are not like tree without depth (one node)" merely dialects of each other, but truly (Anttila 1972, 304). And it is in the geo­ languages in their own right. At times the graphic dimension where lexicostatistic languages share similarities in grammar, work can be useful. In both lexicostatis- syntax, and lexicon, yet they remain fully LEXICOSTATISTICS ApPLIED 47 separated languages and should be treat­ the vocabulary of Tagalog or other ed as such. Originally I had considered Philippine languages to be compared in using Kapampangan as the third com­ a historical context with other languages parison language in this study, but in close geographical proximity, the because of limited data resources and vocabularies of the languages must be time constraints, it was not feasible to do considered in their preinfluenced state to so. However an acceptable replacement, the degree possible. Bikolano, was found. While its geo­ graphic area of usage lies slightly south METHODOLOGY of the area originally envisioned, it is a suitable replacement because it is still The first step in this study was to geographically adjacent to Tagalog. remove any borrowed words from lan­ As background for what follows, it is guages that are geographically distant. As necessary to explain how Spanish, mentioned earlier, words borrowed from Indonesian, and Sanskrit have influenced distant languages tend to skew results in the three languages under consideration. determining the degree of relation In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan claimed the between two languages. However, if one land of the Philippines for Spain, whose is seeking to show a geographic relation imperial rule lasted until the United between languages, then some inclusion States of America gained possession of of loanwords from geographically neigh­ the islands after victories in the Spanish­ boring languages is helpful. The next step American War of 1898-1901. During the was to perform a lexicostatistical compar­ almost four hundred years prior to this, ison of the languages.
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