Attested language
In
proto-languages proposed in linguistic reconstruction.[1]
Within an attested language, particular
word forms directly known to have been used (because they appear in the literature, inscriptions or documented speech) are called attested forms. They contrast with unattested forms, which are reconstructions hypothesised to have been used based on indirect evidence (such as etymological patterns). In linguistic texts, unattested forms are commonly marked with a preceding asterisk (*).[2]
See also
- Historical linguistics
- List of languages by first written accounts
- Spurious languages
References
- ISBN 9783110123241.
- ISBN 9781444359688.
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