Martin Haspelmath
= Martin Haspelmath
{c}
<Martin Haspelmath> is a <linguist> whose comparative research concerns diversity and recurring patterns in grammatical and lexical systems. He coedited the <World Atlas of Language Structures>, an important resource for <linguistic typology>, and studies how properties can be compared across <languages>.<Research profile by Martin Haspelmath>[About me, comparative research and World Atlas of Language Structures coeditorship]{ref}
The scientific challenge goes beyond collecting familiar grammatical labels. In an original toy comparison, suppose two descriptions use different names for constructions that both express a possessor. A cross-language count needs an explicit criterion for deciding whether their relevant properties match. Conversely, identical labels do not guarantee equivalent structures. A useful <lexical database> or grammatical comparison separates documented observations from the analyst's coding decisions.
<Martin Haspelmath> developed the <Leipzig Glossing Rules by Bernard Comrie and others> with <Bernard Comrie> and <Balthasar Bickel>. A standardized display of <morphemes> and their glosses helps readers inspect the evidence behind a comparative claim; it does not by itself establish that claim.<Leipzig Glossing Rules by Bernard Comrie and others>[About the rules and basic principles of interlinear glossing]{ref}