comparative method response poser nichols p 6 book claim way comparative method distinguish nostratic much larger grouping lineages old world new world says hypothetical groupings around c 12000 c 40000 years ago say cutoff point shallow cutoff point ceiling 600010000 years imposes wihout basis noted earlier messages comparative method since amounts rejection nostratic hypothesis false perhaps unverifiable unfalsifiable guess means right poser wrong whether people rejected particular theories linguistic relationship basis mythical ceiling idea response teeter think hope karl endorse disagreements really quite minor real far go example karl obviously 100 right meillet position scientia article meillet says lexical comparisons never prove relationship morphological ones 1925 book meillet repeatedly states establish linguistic relationship purely basis lexical correspondences makes point making linguist language families way showing relationship since lack morphology even makes point certain things done established least tentatively languages dealing related matter fact even shows could demonstrate relatedness romance languages purely basis lexical comparison using numerals 110 shows could older indo european languages although begins slip little morphology would also like add think serious mistake pretend models comparative linguistics besides indo european utterly atypical language families world plenty equally well established families several older sense matters years present years earliest written records many useful models working families yet established afroasiatic austronesian austroasiatic uto aztecan altaic etc say anything wrong knowing much possible ie rather much wrong knowing naught indo european sure think eric hamp mind recent paper davis iverson volume complained teaching historical linguistics hampered textbooks largely draw material ie indeed favored parts romance happy sally thomason point morphological elements borrowed meillet must remember greatly troubled possibility thing existence mixed languages tried debunk every examples around thought wrongly think languages exist handled comparative method fact languages exist e g mitchif yet pose problem trouble tracing certain parts mitchif french others cree means meillet worried naught also means language classification basis morphology infallibible basis oif lexical material work available cases may largely morphology obvious lexical parallels afro asiatic first established morphology lexicon indo european lexicon single morphological parallel algic victor golla reminded day lexicon vietnames rest mon khmer forth