Chapter 4. Solving Galton’s problem
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Lindell Bromham
Abstract
Comparisons between languages can illuminate processes of language change by revealing meaningful associations between language features or the influence of external factors on the patterns and rates of language change. But comparisons between languages raise statistical challenges, because close relatives will tend to be more similar to each other, compared with more distantly related languages, and languages from the same areas will be subject to many of the same influences. Therefore, observations made on different languages will usually fail to meet the requirement of statistical independence inherent in standard statistical testing. This fundamental challenge of cross-cultural analysis, known as Galton’s problem, is no cause for despair because there are a range of workable solutions using widely available data. This paper discusses a range of practical solutions, including phylogenetic analysis, sister pair comparisons, and spatially structured models, that can be applied to analyses of language variation and change.
Abstract
Comparisons between languages can illuminate processes of language change by revealing meaningful associations between language features or the influence of external factors on the patterns and rates of language change. But comparisons between languages raise statistical challenges, because close relatives will tend to be more similar to each other, compared with more distantly related languages, and languages from the same areas will be subject to many of the same influences. Therefore, observations made on different languages will usually fail to meet the requirement of statistical independence inherent in standard statistical testing. This fundamental challenge of cross-cultural analysis, known as Galton’s problem, is no cause for despair because there are a range of workable solutions using widely available data. This paper discusses a range of practical solutions, including phylogenetic analysis, sister pair comparisons, and spatially structured models, that can be applied to analyses of language variation and change.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors’ introduction 1
- Chapter 1. Signs of prehistoric language shifts involving Unangam Tunuu (Aleut) 8
- Chapter 2. Early compound accent in Japanese Tōkyō -type dialects 36
- Chapter 3. Phylogenetic signal in the lexicon 59
- Chapter 4. Solving Galton’s problem 74
- Chapter 5. Re-examining initial geminates 109
- Chapter 6. Recurrent change in pronouns 146
- Chapter 7. The role of geography and migration in the branching and spread of the Japonic language family 172
- Chapter 8. Iconicity principles from an evolutionary perspective 194
- Chapter 9. Modality across semantic spaces 216
- Chapter 10. Something out of nothing 240
- Chapter 11. The diachronic development of postverbal dé 得 in Chinese 260
- Chapter 12. Food, contact phenomena and reconstruction in Oriental Berber 283
- Chapter 13. A cognitive-typological perspective on the origins of causative‑applicative polysemy 330
- Index 367
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Editors’ introduction 1
- Chapter 1. Signs of prehistoric language shifts involving Unangam Tunuu (Aleut) 8
- Chapter 2. Early compound accent in Japanese Tōkyō -type dialects 36
- Chapter 3. Phylogenetic signal in the lexicon 59
- Chapter 4. Solving Galton’s problem 74
- Chapter 5. Re-examining initial geminates 109
- Chapter 6. Recurrent change in pronouns 146
- Chapter 7. The role of geography and migration in the branching and spread of the Japonic language family 172
- Chapter 8. Iconicity principles from an evolutionary perspective 194
- Chapter 9. Modality across semantic spaces 216
- Chapter 10. Something out of nothing 240
- Chapter 11. The diachronic development of postverbal dé 得 in Chinese 260
- Chapter 12. Food, contact phenomena and reconstruction in Oriental Berber 283
- Chapter 13. A cognitive-typological perspective on the origins of causative‑applicative polysemy 330
- Index 367
