"Linguists have devised a new way of linking languages, which they say
has allowed them to reconstruct a network of the languages spoken in
islands near New Guinea. The new method is designed for languages so
old that little trace of their common vocabulary remains. It forges
connections between languages through grammatical features, which change
less quickly than words."
The rest of the article is at the link below. It provides a useful and
timely reminder to cybalist subscribers of how quickly words can change,
in related languages.
Gordon Barlow
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/27/science/27lang.html?ex=1128571200&en=2e3b6674df7124c8&ei=5070&emc=eta1