Why does reconstructing proto-languages using the comparative method face increasing uncertainty as time depth increases?

💡 Explanation

The comparative method relies on identifying regular sound correspondences between cognates to reconstruct proto-forms; however, with greater time depth, accumulated sound change increasingly obscures the original phonetic forms, because regular correspondences become less apparent. Therefore, reconstruction becomes more speculative, rather than relying on clearly defined patterns, as semantic changes and borrowing become harder to disentangle.

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