Introduction published In:
Diachronica: Online-First ArticlesIntroduction
Ancient languages and algorithms
Demystifying new methods in historical linguistics
Historical linguistics has experienced an upsurge in methodological innovation. However, owing to the constraints
of contemporary publication, these innovations often appear in print in a format which is technical, dense and less than fully
accessible. Moreover, because these innovations are still young and have often arisen in other fields before being translated to
historical linguistics, our own discipline has yet to accumulate a stock of trusted explanations of them, presented lucidly and
addressed specifically to our field and to its scientific concerns. This special issue is dedicated to promoting the accessibility
of new methods. Despite their technical details, most new methods in historical linguistics rest upon a rationale and an essential
logic that are perfectly comprehensible to interested historical linguists, so long as they are communicated in a fashion that is
sympathetic and respectful to a linguistic audience. This introduction contextualizes the five papers of the special
issue.
Keywords: historical linguistics, methodology, language contact, language change, historical corpora, simulation
This article is available free of charge.
Published online: 5 August 2024
https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.24016.rou
https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.24016.rou
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