Lecture 1: Comparative typology as a branch of linguistic typology

“A branch of linguistics which studies the structural similarities between languages, regardless of their history, as part of an attempt to establish a satisfactory classification or typology of languages. Typological comparison is thus distinguished from the historical comparison of languages and its groupings may not coincide with those set up by the historical method”.

General points of CT

Comparative typology is a relatively young discipline which offers many unexplored problems. It is the study of how languages are structured, how they are used and how they change through time.

Typology of languages is a branch linguistics which studies the structural similarities between languages regardless of their history and origin.

Definition of Typology according to William Croft’s book “Typology and Universals”

TYPOLOGY


Typology is a classification of structural types across languages

Typology is the study of patterns that occur systematically across languages

Typology represents an approach or theoretical framework to the study of language that contrasts with prior approaches

Tasks of linguistic and non-linguistic typology

Linguistic typology	It deals with systemizing, generalizing and classifying the facts of language isomorphism and allomorphism and also explaining them.
Comparative Pedagogy	It deals with general and distinctive features, development trends and prospective of theory, applied instruction and upbringing methods, re­veals their economic, social political and philosophic backgrounds.
Historical Typology	It analyses historic facts and produces comparative inventory based on the history of each nation/ethnicity to reveal general trends, differences, and similarities.
Comparative Psycho­logy	It deals with psychological similarities and differences between some phenomena, for example, animals and human beings.