Staging Theory

a linguistic hypothesis that presupposes a definite sequence of shifts in linguistic types. The theory arose under the influence of evolutionist ideas, and variants were developed by W. von Humboldt, A. Schleicher, A. Trombetti, N. Ia. Marr, and 1.1. Meshchaninov. In Soviet linguistics, proponents of the staging theory studied the laws governing the development of thought in their search for the factor inducing change from one linguistic stage to the next. The inadequacy of staging systems resulted from the limited linguistic base drawn upon and from the insufficiently developed methodology of historical and typological research. These deficiencies caused the errors in both the formal-structural and content-oriented approaches to the staging theory.