innovation

Progress of change

competition between variants

resolution of competition

stable situation

Methods of reconstruction

Tools:

Occam’s razor

Regularity of Sound change

Methods of reconstruction

Establish correspondences:

p p p bt k t tN n N N

Maori Hawaiian Samoan Fijian gloss

pou pou pou bou ‘post’

tapu kapu tapu tabu ‘forbidden’

taNi kani taNi taNi ‘cry’

Methods of reconstruction

Propose a potential reconstruction:

p p p bt k t tN n N N

*p

*t

*N

Maori Hawaiian Samoan Fijian gloss

hono hono fono vono ‘stay, sit’

kaho /aho /aso kaso ‘thatch’

hina hina sina - ‘grey’

h h f vh h s sh h s -