megalocomparative

English

Etymology

From megalocomparison, equivalent to megalo- +‎ comparative. Coined by Matisoff (1990) in a critique of Joseph Greenberg's "mass comparison" (see quotation at megalocomparison).[1]

Noun

megalocomparative (comparative more megalocomparative, superlative most megalocomparative)

  1. (historical linguistics, rare, often derogatory) Of or pertaining to megalocomparison.
    • 1990, J. A. Matisoff, “On Megalocomparison”, in Language, volume 66, number 1, →DOI, pages 106–120:
      The height of Benedictine megalocomparative ingenuity is reached in the concept of split cognates, i.e. cognates that have reflexes of at most one given proto-phoneme in common, since they descend from different syllables of a polysyllabic etymon.
    • 1992, La Vaughn H. Hayes, Mon-Khmer Studies, volume 21, pages 143–177:
      In a recent disquisition on very large-scale linguistic comparisons, James A. Matisoff discusses the megalocomparisons performed by Joseph H. Greenberg on Amerindian and Benedict on AT, critically appraises their megalo comparative [sic] methodology […]
    • 2016, Alexander Vovin, transl., edited by Alexander Vovin, Man’yōshū: A New English Translation Containing the Original Text, Kana Transliteration, Romanization, Glossing and Commentary, Leiden: Brill, →DOI, book 17, page 74:
      Ironically, this interpretation also found its way into the science fiction literature of modern megalocomparative linguistics […]

References

  1. ^ Matisoff, J. A. (1990). On Megalocomparison. Language, 66(1), 106–120. →DOI
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