The Similarity Trap
As we try to figure out the evolutionary trees for languages and species, we sometimes get led astray by similar but unrelated words and traits.
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Show Notes
To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords:
- Cladistics: A method of recreating evolutionary trees based on evidence about relationships.
- Etymology: The study of the origin of words and how they have changed throughout history.
- Convergent Evolution: A process whereby different species evolve similar traits in order to adapt to similar environments.
- Polyphyly: A group containing members with multiple ancestral sources.
- Homoplasy: A trait shared by a group of species that is not shared in their common ancestor.
- False Cognates: Pairs of words with similar sounds and meanings but unrelated etymologies.
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