ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates glottochronology's potential as a tool for investigating language and culture prehistory. Glottochronology was devised by Morris Swadesh in the mid-twentieth century as a method for determining the number of centuries since genetically related languages diverged from a common ancestor. Most glottochronological dates calculated for parent languages of Amerindian genetic groups are closely in line with archaeological dates pertaining to the chronology of Zea mays in the Americas. From this, the author conclude that glottochronological dates are, at worst, "in the ballpark" and, at best, fairly accurate. In addition, glottochronology is the only existing method allowing the possibility of relating results of historical linguistics to findings of prehistoric archaeology. Glottochronological dates for genetic groups of North America are in accord with the known chronology of maize for that region without need for any kind of adjustment. Languages of both Misulmapan and Eastern Chibchan are spoken in southern Central America.
