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family-tree theory: Meaning and Definition of
fam'i•ly-tree' the"ory
Pronunciation: (fam'u-lē trē', fam'lē-), [key]
— Historical Ling. Historical Ling.
- a theory that describes language change in terms of genetically related languages developing in successive splits from a common parent language, such as Indo-European, as depicted by a family tree diagram. Cf. wave theory.
