Evolutionary ideas and ‘empirical’ methods: the analogy between language and species in works by Lyell and Schleicher

Abstract

In the Origin of Species , Charles Darwin (1809–82) briefly drew an analogy between languages and species, suggesting that the genealogical relationships between languages provide a model for discussing the descent and modification of species. Further, he suggested that just as languages often contain some vestige of earlier speech, for example silent, unpronounced letters, so the rudimentary organs of animals can provide clues about genealogy and descent.