Structure of A Family
A family is a monogenetic unit; that is, all its members derive from a common ancestor, and all attested descendants of that ancestor are included in the family. However, unlike the case of biological nomenclature, every level of language relationship is commonly called a family. For example, the Germanic, Slavic, Romance, and Indo-Iranian language families are branches of a larger Indo-European language family.
Read more about this topic: Language Family
Famous quotes containing the words structure and/or family:
“When a house is tottering to its fall,
The strain lies heaviest on the weakest part,
One tiny crack throughout the structure spreads,
And its own weight soon brings it toppling down.”
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)
“Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements.”
—Elizabeth II (b. 1926)