[ ... ] How much evidence
needs to be compiled to show a relationship, one language to
another.
[peter] It is regular patterns of relationship, rather than quantity of
similar words, that linguists look for. But there are a number of actual cases
where opinions differ from linguist to linguist.
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Is there some statistical proof which give us the significance of a
relationship? Say, if for two languages A and B 1000 cognates are
identifidied, this is more significant if for the two languages A and B only,
say, 250 cogantes are identified.
I think a test based on a predetermined list (for example Swadesh list)
can provide such a test, by comparing the hazard expected names of cognates,
with the number of true cognates, what do you think about?
Davius S.