Lexicostatistical data (raw and derived text files) on 200 basic words in each of 95 Indoeuropean languages as collected/collated by Professor Isidore Dyen circa 1960

  • Paul Black (Creator)

    Dataset

    Description

    This dataset formed the basis of the 1992 seminal work 'An Indoeuropean Classification: A Lexicostatistical Experiment' by Isidore Dyen, Joseph B Kruskal and Paul Black. The publication tested lexicostatistical methods against what was already known about Indoeuropean languages using more traditional methods. The dataset comprises three descriptive documents and six raw and derived data text files. The three descriptive documents provide background and publication information on the dataset. The six text files contain all the data as collected and collated by Isidore Dyen circa 1960. One file contains the data that was placed on punched cards circa 1970, and transferred to disc circa 1990. It gives cognation data among 95 Indoeuropean speech varieties. For each meaning in the list of 200 basic meanings the file contains the forms used in the 95 speech varieties collected by Isidore Dyen and the cognation decisions among these forms made by Dyen circa 1970. Other files contain the statistical matrices produced from the raw data to determine similarities/differences between languages in order to create a tree like structure of evolution of Indoeuropean languages. Virtual copy of the data available at wordgumbo http://www.wordgumbo.com/ie/cmp

    Access Condition: Copyright held by Dr Paul Black (Prof Dyen and Dr Kruskal have both passed away.)
    Date made available2015
    PublisherCharles Darwin University - Datasets
    Temporal coverage1960 - 1990
    Date of data production1960 - 1990

    Field of Research (FoR)

    • 2004 Linguistics

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