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Glite Dictionary
lexicostatistics

lexicostatistics

9.9
A method using word lists to measure how closely languages are related and estimate when they separated
  • noun
  • /ˌlɛksɪkoʊstəˈtɪstɪks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lexicostatística
  • The team used lexicostatistics to measure how closely related the two dialects were.

Examples

  • Advances in lexicostatistics have helped researchers trace the origins of Indo-European languages.

  • Some linguists question the assumptions underlying lexicostatistics in estimating language divergence.

  • The study of lexicostatistics helps linguists understand language evolution.

  • Can lexicostatistics reveal how closely related two languages are?

  • Advances in lexicostatistics have helped researchers trace the origins of Indo-European languages.

  • Some linguists question the assumptions underlying lexicostatistics in estimating language divergence.

  • The team used lexicostatistics to measure how closely related the two dialects were.

Surface Forms

lexicostatistics singular
lexicostatistics plural

Morphology

lexicostatistics = lexico + statistic (semi-transparent) = lexico + statistic + s

While the components 'lexico' and 'statistic' are clear, the specific application to linguistics is specialized.

Etymology

Lexicostatistics comes from lexico- from Greek lexis, meaning 'word', and statistics, meaning 'numbers' or 'counting', so it literally means 'counting words'. That's why lexicostatistics is a method that compares languages by counting which words they share to see how closely they are related.