Language Areality in Ancient Eurasia
In the past decades much research has been done on areal patterns in the world. Were these areal patterns already present in the times of the ancient languages, especially in the second millenium B.C.? Did areal phenomena exist in that time that did not survive into recent times? If the observable and provable areal patterns changed, why did that happen? [more]
Quantitative approaches to lexical comparison
Lexical material ("words") is one important source of information to establish genealogical relations between languages. We investigate quantitative methods to assist linguists in this kinds of historical-comparative research. [more]
Advances in Evolutionary Phonology
Evolutionary Phonology seeks to explain why certain sound patterns have the typological distributions they do. Why are certain sound patterns extremely common, while others are rare? What factors play a role in determining similar sound patterns across languages? And what is the ultimate explanation for the striking identity between recurrent context-dependent instances of sound change and recurrent alternation types across the world's languages? [more]
Computational and quantitative methods in historical linguistics
Applying computational and statistical methods to large lexical and typological dataset and supplementing empirical data with computer simulations we try to address questions like: How fast do different elements of language change? How can we classify all of the world's languages consistently? How did the present distribution of languages come about? [more]
 Maya writing and historical linguistics
Through comparative reconstruction and epigraphic work we try to track the development of Lowland Maya languages in the context of the cultural evolution of the area. The project also involves the build-up of a Pan-Chronic Mayan Dictionary containing not only cognate sets and reconstructions but also, ideally, all attested lexemes throughout the Mayan languages. [more]
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