Comparative Grammar

Comparative Grammar 

the comparative genetic study of the phonetics (phonology), morphophonemics, word formation, inflection, and sometimes the syntax of a family or group of related languages. A comparative grammar together with an etymological dictionary can summarize the results of the comparative genetic study of a family (group) of languages.

The first comparative grammars of the Indo-European languages were written by F. Bopp and A. Schleicher. A more complete comparative grammar of the Indo-European languages was written by K. Brugmann and B. Delbrück. Since the second half of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century, individual branches of the Indo-European family of languages and of other families and groups of languages have been the subject of comparative grammatical studies.

REFERENCES

SravniteV naia grammatika germanskikh iazykov, vols. 1–4. Moscow, 1962–66.
Bernshtein, S. B. Ocherk sravnitel’noi grammatiki slavianskikh iazykov [vols. 1–2], Moscow 1961–74.
Brugmann, K., and B. Delbrück. Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik, vols. 1–2. Strassburg, 1897–1916.
Caldwell, R. A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian Family of Languages, 3rd ed. London, 1913.
Collinder, B. Comparative Grammar of the Uralte Languages. Stockholm, 1960.
Poppe, N. Vergleichende Grammatik der altaischen Sprachen, part 1. Wiesbaden, 1960.
An Introduction to the Comparative Grammar of the Semitic Languages. Wiesbaden, 1964.