INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT FACTORS ON THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF LINGUISTIC TYPOLOGY

Abstract

Linguistic typology is a major branch of linguistics that compares and classifies languages according to their structural features. Its historical development has been influenced by grammatical traditions, comparative-historical linguistics, morphological classification, structuralism, language universals, functional approaches, language contact, and technological progress. The article examines these major factors and highlights the contributions of leading scholars such as Wilhelm von Humboldt, Edward Sapir, Joseph Greenberg, Bernard Comrie, and William Croft. It also shows how modern linguistic typology has developed into a comprehensive field concerned with linguistic diversity, universals, language change, and cross-linguistic comparison.