Measuring language change

Are there any scientific ways to measure and/or
predict language change? I'd like to know, mostly
in order to make dialects with a reasonable rate
of change. All I've heard is that glotochronology <sp?>
estimates that a language loses X percent of its
lexicon every N years, or something of the sort.


--Pablo Flores

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En gian idgrivar fr=FAmneltel frasi=E9rraser gian pavonn
be i malladhar siqged=FCer.

"Don't blame your enemy for your disgrace=20
 if you've just given them a chance."

(Traditional Dr=E1selhadh saying)