TypEFKombination

TypEFKombination is a term used in linguistic typology to denote the occurrence of two typological features, designated as E and F, within a language or a data set. The term is primarily a descriptive label intended to facilitate discussion of how feature patterns co-appear and interact across languages.

Because E and F are placeholders, TypEFKombination is not tied to specific features. Researchers may instantiate it with any two features of interest, and the term encompasses simple co-occurrence as well as more complex interdependencies where the value of one feature influences the distribution of the other. The concept is often used when describing large typological matrices or when coding cross-linguistic data for comparison.

In practice, TypEFKombination is coded as a joint feature value, typically as a tuple (E=value1, F=value2). This allows researchers to query, summarize, and visualize how frequently certain combinations occur, and to test hypotheses about correlations or functional associations between features.

Applications include cross-linguistic surveys, historical linguistic studies, and language documentation projects, where documenting co-occurring typological patterns helps in characterizing language families or contact-induced change. TypEFKombination can support typology-informed sampling and methodological checks for dataset completeness.

Limitations include sensitivity to the choice and granularity of the underlying features, possible over-simplification of continuous variation, and potential ambiguity in defining E and F. Explicit operational definitions and transparent coding schemes are essential for reproducibility and cross-study comparability.

See also: feature-based typology, cross-linguistic comparison, typological survey.