Historical Linguistics

Historical Linguistics is designed for use with one-term course in the subject, as an introduction for students with some knowledge of phonetics, phonology and morphology. While theories of historical linguistics are introduced where appropriate, the book presupposes no acquaintance with contemporary theories of phonology or syntax. After introducing the idea of language change, the book works steadily through all important types of change, and then goes on to consider the consequences of change (dialects and language families). Only then does it introduce the major historical methods. Later chapters deal with the sociolinguistic aspects of change, language contact, birth and death of languages, language and prehistory and finally the issue of remote relations.