Language Typology

Language typology is a subfield of linguistics that classifies the world's languages according to their shared structural and functional features, irrespective of their historical or genetic relationships. By comparing patterns across diverse languages—such as basic word order (e.g., Subject-Verb-Object), morphological systems (how words are formed), and phonological inventories—typologists seek to establish linguistic universals, or principles common to all languages. This comparative approach not only documents the full scope of possible variation but also provides profound insights into the cognitive faculties that shape human communication.

1. Introduction to Language Typology
   1. Defining Language Typology
      1. What is Language Typology
      2. Scope and Boundaries
      3. Relationship to Other Linguistic Disciplines
   2. Historical Development
      1. Early Typological Work
      2. 19th Century Morphological Classification
      3. Modern Typological Theory
      4. Contemporary Developments
   3. Core Goals and Objectives
      1. Documenting Linguistic Diversity
         1. Cataloguing Structural Variation
         2. Recording Endangered Languages
         3. Building Comprehensive Inventories
      2. Identifying Cross-Linguistic Patterns
         1. Recurring Structural Features
         2. Patterns of Variation
         3. Patterns of Similarity
      3. Establishing Linguistic Universals
         1. Criteria for Universality
         2. Types of Universal Claims
         3. Testing Universal Hypotheses
      4. Understanding Limits of Variation
         1. Possible versus Impossible Structures
         2. Typological Rarity
         3. Exceptional Cases
   4. Typology versus Genetic Classification
      1. Genetic Relationships
      2. Typological Similarities
      3. Areal Influences
      4. Contact Effects
      5. Distinguishing Inheritance from Borrowing
   5. Fundamental Concepts
      1. The Notion of Linguistic Type
         1. Defining Types
         2. Typological Classes
         3. Prototypes and Gradience
      2. Form and Function
         1. Structural Form
         2. Communicative Function
         3. Form-Function Mapping
      3. Cross-Linguistic Comparison
         1. Comparative Method in Typology
         2. Tertium Comparationis
         3. Functional Equivalence