Longman Dictionary of

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a branch of linguistics which studies language change and language
relationships. By comparing earlier and later forms of a language and by
comparing different languages, it has been possible to show that certain
languages are related, e.g. the INDO-EUROPEAN LANGUAGE. It has also been
possible to reconstruct forms which are believed to have occurred in a
particular language before written records were available. For example *p
in an ancestor language to all the Indo-European languages is said to be
related to /p/ in Sanskrit as in pita “father” and /f/ in English as in father.
see also DIACHRONIC LINGUISTICS
comparative linguistics n
a branch of linguistics which studies two or more languages in order to
compare their structures and to show whether they are similar or different.
Comparative linguistics is used in the study of language types (see
TYPOLOGY) and in COMPARATIVE HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS. It is also used by
some applied linguists for establishing differences between the learner’s
native language and the TARGET LANGUAGE 1 in the areas of syntax, vocabulary,
and sound systems.
see also CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS
comparative philology n
another term for COMPARATIVE HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS
comparative relative clause n
also, object of comparative relative clause, OCOMP
see NOUN PHRASE ACCESSIBILITY HIERARCHY
comparative sentence n
another term for COMPARATIVE CLAUSE
comparison and contrast method n
see METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT
competence
compensatory instruction n
also compensatory education
a special education programme for children whose home background is
said to lack certain kinds of language experience. For example, children
who are not read to at home or who do not have story books at home.
see also CULTURAL DEPRIVATION
competence n
(in GENERATIVE GRAMMAR) the implicit system of rules that constitutes a
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