Tomlin (1986) buruzki Ruhlen (1975): "..., the information is presented simply as descriptive data. Perhaps it can serve as an example that size alone cannot guarantee sample representativeness."

Tomlin-ek (1986) jarraitzen dú aipatuz beste datu-base bat, kasu honetan egina ganik Ruhlen (1975), zeinen helburua zén basikoki deskriptiboa respektu 427 hizkuntzaren hitz-ordena, zein izanik kopuru handia, ez da zertan izan representagarria respektu munduko hizkuntza guztiak. Honela dio Tomlin-ek berak:

If Ruhlen's data were in some sense taken to be as a representative sample of the world's languages, it, too, would suffer from genetic and areal distortions. However, the information is presented simply as descriptive data. Perhaps it can serve as an example that size alone cannot guarantee sample representativeness. [Tomlin, 1986:20]

Hor, hizkuntza-kopurua (1975: 427 hizkuntza) dá are handiagoa zein geroko Tomlin-ena bera (1986: 402 hizkuntza), nahiz eta...

... that size alone cannot guarantee sample representativeness. [Tomlin, 1986:19-20]

Ruhlen-ek egin nahi zuén deskripzio estatistikoa on hizkuntza-multzo erlatiboki handi bat, ordurako handiena (the information is presented simply as descriptive data.), baina ez zuen pretenditu mundu osoko representatibitatea. [2753] [>>>]