In
historical linguistics
Historical linguistics, also termed diachronic linguistics, is the scientific study of language change over time. Principal concerns of historical linguistics include:
# to describe and account for observed changes in particular languages
# ...
, a daughter language, also known as descendant language, is a
language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
descended from another language, its mother language, through a process of
genetic descent. If more than one language has developed from the same
proto-language, or 'mother language', those languages are said to be
sister languages, members of the same
language family. These concepts are linked to the
tree model
In historical linguistics, the tree model (also Stammbaum, genetic, or cladistic model) is a model of the evolution of languages analogous to the concept of a family tree, particularly a phylogenetic tree in the biological evolution of specie ...
of language evolution, in which the relationships between languages are compared with those between members of a family tree. This model captures the diversification of languages from a common source.
Strictly speaking, the
metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
of the mother-daughter relationship can lead to a misconceptualization of language history, as daughter languages are direct continuations of the mother language, which have become distinct, principally by a process of
gradual change; the languages are not separate entities "born" to a parent who eventually dies.
Mother languages do not "die", they ''become'' their daughter languages.
Examples
*
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...
is a daughter language of
Old Malayalam, which is a daughter language of
Middle Tamil, which is a daughter language of
Proto-South-Dravidian which is a daughter language of
Proto-Dravidian.
*
English is a daughter language of
Old English, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic bran ...
, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo- ...
.
*
Italian,
Spanish,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
Portuguese, and
Romanian are all daughter languages of
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Italic, which is a daughter language of Proto-Indo-European.
*
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...
is a daughter language of
Old Mandarin, which is a daughter language of
Old Chinese
Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones from around 12 ...
, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Sino-Tibetan.
*
Bulgarian is a daughter language of
Old Bulgarian, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Slavic, which is a daughter language of Proto-Indo-European.
*
German and
Yiddish are both daughter languages of
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050.
There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...
, which is a daughter language of Proto-Germanic, which is a daughter language of Proto-Indo-European.
*
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans g ...
is a daughter language of
Dutch, which is a daughter language of
Low Franconian, which is a daughter language of Proto-Germanic, which is a daughter language of Proto-Indo-European.
*
Japanese is a daughter language of
Old Japanese, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Japonic.
*
Coptic is a daughter language of
Ancient Egyptian (through its many stages), which is a daughter language of
Proto-Afroasiatic.
*
Maltese
Maltese may refer to:
* Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta
* Maltese alphabet
* Maltese cuisine
* Maltese culture
* Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people
* Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...
is a daughter language of
Siculo-Arabic, which is a daughter language of
Old Arabic, which is a daughter language of Proto-Semitic, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Afroasiatic.
*
Hiligaynon and
Cebuano are daughter languages of
Proto-Visayan, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Philippine, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Malayo-Polynesian
Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) is the reconstructed ancestor of the Malayo-Polynesian languages, which is by far the largest branch (by current speakers) of the Austronesian language family. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian is ancestral to all Austronesi ...
, which is a daughter language of
Proto-Austronesian.
See also
*
Comparative method
*
Language families
*
Proto-language
*
Tree model
In historical linguistics, the tree model (also Stammbaum, genetic, or cladistic model) is a model of the evolution of languages analogous to the concept of a family tree, particularly a phylogenetic tree in the biological evolution of specie ...
References
Historical linguistics
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