(Linguistics) the use of lexicostatistics to establish that languages are historically related

glottochronology

a statistical and lexical study of two languages deriving from a common source to determine the time of their divergence, as English and German. Cf. lexicostatistics. — glottochronologist, n. — glottochronological, adj.

See also: Linguistics

the study of two or more related but distinct languages in order to determine when they separated, by examining the lexicon they share and those parts of it that have been replaced. — glottochronologist, n. — glottochronological, adj.

See also: Time

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