Four methods for inferring biological phylogenies were applied to lexical and structural data of a representative sample of the Austronesian Family of languages. After introducing individual languages and the Family as a whole, each combination of method and data type is performance reviewed through topological comparison with a 'known' tree. The results suggest a two-step method which is described in detail. First, NeighborNet analysis is used to qualitatively assess how "phylogenetic" the data are and thus if tree building is justified. Next, Bayesian analysis is used to construct a tree. Under the proposed method, a combined lexical and structural data set produced a fully historically accurate tree, thus supporting past research through an alternative method. The increase in accuracy with combined data suggest that inferring the natural history of the whole language depends on reconciling the phylogenetic signals from component parts; a tension between the lexicon and structures with traceable correlates in both methods. Lastly, the evolutionary association of structural features is assessed. This result highlights the potential productivity of using biological methods to pursue previously untenable questions about language evolution
