Hidden Borrowing in Indo-European Language Evolution
Author Information
Author(s): Nelson-Sathi Shijulal, List Johann-Mattis, Geisler Hans, Fangerau Heiner, Gray Russell D., Martin William, Dagan Tal
Primary Institution: Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
Hypothesis
How frequently has lexical borrowing occurred among Indo-European languages during their evolution?
Conclusion
The study reveals that borrowing in Indo-European languages is far more widespread than previously thought, affecting 61% of cognates analyzed.
Supporting Evidence
- 61% of cognates have been affected by borrowing during their history.
- On average, 8% of the words of basic vocabulary in each Indo-European language were involved in borrowing.
- The study identified 94% of known borrowings correctly.
- Borrowing rates were found to be higher among languages within the same branch of Indo-European.
Takeaway
Languages can share words with each other, not just inherit them from ancestors, and this study shows that many words in Indo-European languages were borrowed from one another.
Methodology
The study used two datasets of cognates and applied phylogenetic networks to analyze borrowing frequency.
Potential Biases
Potential bias exists in the selection of datasets and the interpretation of cognate origins.
Limitations
The study relies on the accuracy of cognate identification and may not account for all external borrowing events.
Participant Demographics
The study analyzed 84 Indo-European languages.
Statistical Information
P-Value
1.05 × 10−24
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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