Tom Güldemann argues that much comparative work in Afroasiatic suffers from not attempting first to reconstruct smaller units within the individual branches, but instead comparing words in the individual languages.
tˈɑːm ɡˈuːldᵻmən ˈɑːɹɡjuːz ðæt mˈʌtʃ kəmpˈæɹətˌɪv wˈɜːk ɪn ˌæfɹoʊˌeɪsɪˈæɾɪk sˈʌfɚz fɹʌm nˌɑːt ɐtˈɛmptɪŋ fˈɜːst tə ɹˌiːkənstɹˈʌkt smˈɔːlɚ jˈuːnɪts wɪðˌɪn ðɪ ˌɪndᵻvˈɪdʒuːəl bɹˈæntʃᵻz, bˌʌt ɪnstˈɛd kəmpˈɛɹɪŋ wˈɜːdz ɪnðɪ ˌɪndᵻvˈɪdʒuːəl lˈæŋɡwɪdʒᵻz.