Language change

"We know that two neighbouring languages can evolve at different rates: Danish. for instance, developed much more rapidly than German, or even Swedish."

"Changes [of language] are quicker in unsettled communities than in more settled ones."

"Languages change at different speeds, and English has certainly changed more quickly than, say, Lithuanian or Icelandic."

"As regards the kinship of the languages, it is quite impossible to state definite chronological limits within which languages change. Some languages change very rapidly , others remain more or less unaltered for a long period. It is true that hieratic languages, like those of the Vedic hymns and the Avesta, can remain unaltered much longer than spoken languages."