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Evaluating Proposals of Language Genealogical Relationship the Beck-Wichmann-Brown (Bwb) System

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Evaluating Proposals of Language Genealogical Relationship the Beck-Wichmann-Brown (Bwb) System Language Dynamics and Change 7 (2017) 252–285 brill.com/ldc Evaluating proposals of language genealogical relationship The Beck-Wichmann-Brown (bwb) system Cecil H. Brown Northern Illinois University [email protected] Abstract In an endeavor to objectify and provide uniformity to the comparative method of his- torical linguistics, this study describes the Beck-Wichmann-Brown (bwb) system for evaluating lexical sets assembled as evidence for proposals of language genealogical relationship. The approach quantitatively assesses the degree of support that collec- tions of comparative sets provide for proposals, with regard to whether or not observed lexical similarity exceeds coincidental expectation. bwb is illustrated through applica- tion to an assemblage of 51 comparative sets compiled by Pache (2016) for the affiliation of Pumé and Chocoan languages of South America. This study presents and ranks bwb quantitative results for 65 language comparisons (of global distribution) and pro- poses a framework for interpreting ranked findings. Evaluations for the 65 comparisons are compared with those provided by three online classifications of the world’s lan- guages. Keywords comparative method – distant genetic relationship – historical linguistics – language classification – language families – Swadesh basic vocabulary 1 Introduction The comparative method of historical linguistics compiles evidence in support of the genealogical relatedness of languages. This evidence typically consists of words from compared languages that are similar in sound and meaning, i.e., © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2017 | doi: 10.1163/22105832-00702003Downloaded from Brill.com09/28/2021 03:44:14AM via free access evaluating proposals of language genealogical relationship 253 lexical lookalikes. If matched words are not only similar but also attest to reg- ular sound correspondences, the words may be cognate, i.e., inherited from a common ancestral language. If cognate, compared languages are genealog- ically affiliated.1 While the comparative method has been in use for at least two centuries, the approach is not without problems. Particularly vexing is the identification of cognates. No widely-shared protocol is available for distinguishing those lexical lookalikes that are probable cognates from those explained by factors other than common ancestry, such as borrowing, universal tendencies, and chance. Another issue is lack of a standard for deciding whether or not a collection of potential cognates is of sufficient strength to demonstrate relatedness. Kessler (2001: 1) succinctly summarizes the situation: When a linguist has finished compiling lists of correspondences between languages, there remains the problem of judging whether the amount of evidence is strong enough to prove that the languages are historically connected […] yet there is no commonly agreed upon method for doing so. Linguists looking at the same data can come up with widely differing appraisals as to whether the case for historical connection has been proved or not. This paper describes the Beck-Wichmann-Brown (bwb) system for evaluating lexical evidence. bwb provides a rigorous quantitative approach for identify- ing likely cognates and for appraising the strength of collections of potential cognates as support for language relationship. This is the first such standard to be advanced in the long history of comparative linguistics, the broad adoption of which has the potential to render the comparative method compatible with 21st-century norms of scientific inquiry. 2 The Beck-Wichmann-Brown (bwb) system First described in Brown, Wichmann, and Beck (2014), bwb facilitates evalua- tion of comparative sets of lexical items by quantitatively distinguishing sets showing similarities more likely explained by chance from those less likely. 1 This is not the only approach to assessing relationship. Grammatical similarities, especially morphological patterns, are used as well, but this strategy is not addressed in this essay. Language Dynamics and Change 7 (2017) 252–285 Downloaded from Brill.com09/28/2021 03:44:14AM via free access 254 brown Application of the approach results in culling weaker sets from an assemblage of comparative sets, often leaving a smaller collection, but one whose similar- ities are more likely due to historical connection2 than to coincidence.3 Development of bwb came about in response to the work of Lyle Campbell, who for decades has challenged evidence compiled for proposals of language relatedness where the languages compared were not previously known to be genealogically associated—referred to by Campbell as proposals of “distant genetic relationship” (dgr). Campbell wisely advises that lexical similarities of assembled comparative sets are sometimes more likely due to coincidence, universal tendencies, borrowing, or other factors than to phylogenetic kinship (e.g., Campbell, 1973, 1988, 1995, 1997, 2011; Campbell and Poser, 2008). Campbell’s approach is exemplified by his review (Campbell, 2011) of The Dene-Yeniseian Connection (Kari and Potter, 2010), especially in comments directed at a contribution by Vajda (2010), who assembles evidence for the genealogical affiliation of Na-Dene languages of the New World and Yeni- seian languages of the Old World. In addition to grammatical evidence, Vajda presents 103 comparative sets supporting sound correspondences attesting to the relationship. Campbell (2011) points out that many, if not most of the com- parative sets are deficient with respect to one or more of his criteria for judg- ing a set’s convincingness; these shortcomings include loose semantic latitude, shortness of form, unexplained phonological residue, and so on. His evaluation is: In sum, the majority of the proposed cognates are problematic, chal- lenged on the basis of standard criteria for investigating proposals of distant genetic relationship. The remaining forms are not sufficient in number to support conclusions about sound correspondences. The lexi- cal comparisons do not warrant the assumption of a genetic relationship between Yeniseian and Na-Dene. 2011: 448 2 “Historical connection” in this study refers to both language contact (diffusion/borrowing) and genealogical affiliation (inheritance). 3 The idea for the bwb approach originated with David Beck, and its initial development involved equal contributions from Beck, Søren Wichmann, and Cecil H. Brown. As originally conceived, the method was designed for vetting individual comparative sets in the process of assembling lexical evidence for a proposal (Brown, Wichmann, and Beck, 2014). The idea of applying the system to evaluation of pre-existing proposals, as done in this study, originated mostly with the present author, as have some changes from the original bwb recommendations described and used in this study. Language Dynamics andDownloaded Change from 7 Brill.com09/28/2021 (2017) 252–285 03:44:14AM via free access evaluating proposals of language genealogical relationship 255 In introducing bwb, Brown et al. (2014) argue that Campbell’s approach to this and other dgr proposals is much too severe to be considered the final word on their convincingness or lack thereof. They agree that little support would remain for proposed sound correspondences if all of Vajda’s sets found defi- cient by Campbell’s criteria were eliminated from the supportive body of lexical evidence. The weakness of Campbell’s approach is that some comparative sets may be challenged by one of his criteria but may be considered stronger when judged by some other criterion or criteria. Such sets should not be summar- ily dismissed for a single negative when offset by one or more positives. For example, a set might compare words that are short, but, nonetheless, show the same glosses (translation equivalence); or a set might not show transla- tion equivalence but, nonetheless, compare words attesting to three or more sound correspondences; or a set may exhibit unexplained phonological residue in matching but show no evidence of onomatopoeia, and so on. Such combi- nations of strengths and weaknesses should be taken into consideration when evaluating the persuasiveness of dgr proposals. bwb employs a judicious balance of different criteria for assessing the qual- ity of comparative sets used in the construction of genealogical proposals. It does not incorporate all criteria cited by Campbell, but does include those that appear consistently to be most relevant for evaluating lexical similarity.The cri- teria used are also of such a nature that decisions concerning their pertinence to comparative sets should be reasonably obvious to most informed scholars, which makes the system both simple to apply and replicable. In the system, comparative sets earn points for the presence of features that can be cited in support of cognation. For example, a set with compared words showing translation equivalence (te) will earn points, while a set lack- ing te receives no points for this feature. In addition, points are earned by sets showing lack of potential influence of onomatopoeia, by those showing no unexplained segmental residue in matching, and for the degree to which sets involve sound correspondences. The specifics of assigning points to a set are: 2 points: For each sound correspondence 2 points: For translation equivalence 1 point: For lack of potential onomatopoeia 1 point: For lack of unexplained, unmatched phonological segments Language Dynamics and Change 7 (2017) 252–285 Downloaded from Brill.com09/28/2021 03:44:14AM
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