1. An Essay on the Origin and Classification of Languages Fernando M Q Pereira

2. Why to Classify Languages? How many different languages exist? How old are the languages? Is there a common ancestor of all the languages? How do languages evolve?

3. Classification Systems Areal Classification Typological Classification Genetic Classification

4. Universal versus Specific Which properties are present in every language? Which properties are specific of some languages?

5. Typological Classification 1 Isolating/root/analytic languages Agglutinating languages –Lat. agglutinare `to glue together ’ Inflectional/fusion languages

6. Typological Classification 2 SVO SOV VSO VOS OVS OSV

7. Genetic Classification Most languages share common ancestors. Genetic markers: characteristics shared by related languages that hardly would happen by chance. Cognate words. Glottochronology

8. Stocks of Related Languages Niger-Congo Austronesian, Trans-New Guine, Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan Afro-Asiatic Nilo-Saharan Oto-Manguean Austro-Asiatic Sepik-Ramu Tai-kadai Tupi Dravidian Mayan

10. Applications The age of languages Language reconstruction

11. Diversification of Languages Small, isolated populations. Social stratification. Contact between cultures. –Pidgin, –Creole.

12. Examples Russian <- East Slavic <- Slavic <- Indo-European –Sister languages: Belarusian, Ukrainian, Rusyn Franch <- Oil <- Gallo-Rhaetian <- Gallo- Romance <- Italic Romance <- Indo-European –Sister languages: Lombard, Piedmontese, Ligurian, Franco-Provencal Mandarin <- Chinese <- Sino-Tibetan –Sister languages: Wu, Xiang, Gan, Hakka, Cantonese, Min.