Greenberg's Method of Mass Comparison of Language Classification Essay by Top Papers

Joseph H. Greenberg played a significant role in language typological studies and the mass comparison of lexical items. Greenberg created mass comparisons and classifications for languages spoken on many continents in various countries including Africa, the Americas, and New Guinea (Bengtson & Ruhlen 292). He wrote, "The method of multilateral comparison is so powerful that it will give reliable results even with the poorest of materials. Incorrect material should have merely a randomizing effect (Greenberg 29; as cited by Ramat 1).