Brian D. Joseph – författare

“The first volume of the Handbook of Historical Linguistics is the best-worn handbook among many in my office and even though it’s almost 20 years old, I still consult it often. Still, historical linguistics is a very different field today than it was in 2003 and this new volume fully reflects and engages with the state of the art. It’s a completely new book, a worthy successor, and I look forward to wearing out this second volume.” Joseph Salmons, University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA

“This is an important resource for right now and far into the future. In its breadth and depth it has everything we could ask for and more, a comprehensive survey in 24 chapters written by the world’s foremost scholars. It unites time-honored fundamentals of historical linguistics and progressive lines of ongoing research.” Lyle Campbell, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, USA

This brand-new, second volume of The Handbook of Historical Linguistics is a complement to the well-established first volume, initially published in 2003. It includes extended content allowing uniquely comprehensive coverage of the study of language(s) over time. Though it adds fresh perspectives on several topics previously treated in the first volume, this Handbook focuses on extensions of diachronic linguistics beyond those key issues.

This Handbook provides readers with studies of language change whose perspectives range from comparisons of large open vs. small closed corpora, via creolistics and linguistic contact in general, to obsolescence and endangerment of languages. Written by leading scholars in their respective fields, the chapters of this Handbook cover new topics such as the origin of language, the evidence from language for reconstructing human prehistory, the relevance of the study of present-day language for studying language in the past, and the benefits of linguistic fieldwork for historical investigation. Unique to this volume is a chapter that discusses in detail a large number of highly specific predictions as to the future of a widely spoken language-variety, thereby focusing long-term attention on thirty changes in the lexicon, phonology, morphology, and morphosyntax of North American English.

The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II, is an ideal book for undergraduate and graduate students in linguistics, researchers, and professional linguists, as well as all those interested in the history of particular languages and the history of language more generally.

An entirely new follow-up volume providing a detailed account of numerous additional issues, methods, and results that characterize current work in historical linguistics. 

This brand-new, second volume of The Handbook of Historical Linguistics is a complement to the well-established first volume first published in 2003. It includes extended content allowing uniquely comprehensive coverage of the study of language(s) over time. Though it adds fresh perspectives on several topics previously treated in the first volume, this Handbook focuses on extensions of diachronic linguistics beyond those key issues.

This Handbook provides readers with studies of language change whose perspectives range from comparisons of large open vs. small closed corpora, via creolistics and linguistic contact in general, to obsolescence and endangerment of languages. Written by leading scholars in their respective fields, new chapters are offered on matters such as the origin of language, evidence from language for reconstructing human prehistory, invocations of language present in studies of language past, benefits of linguistic fieldwork for historical investigation, ways in which not only biological evolution but also field biology can serve as heuristics for research into the rise and spread of linguistic innovations, and more. Moreover, it: 

The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II is an ideal book for undergraduate and graduate students in linguistics, researchers and professional linguists, as well as all those interested in the history of particular languages and the history of language more generally. 

This book, first published in 1990, is a study of both the specific syntactic changes in the more recent stages of Greek and of the nature of syntactic change in general. Guided by the constraints and principles of Universal Grammar, this hypothesis of this study allows for an understanding of how these changes in Greek syntax occurred and so provides insight into the mechanism of syntactic change. This title will be of interest to students of language and linguistics.

This book, first published in 1990, is a study of both the specific syntactic changes in the more recent stages of Greek and of the nature of syntactic change in general. Guided by the constraints and principles of Universal Grammar, this hypothesis of this study allows for an understanding of how these changes in Greek syntax occurred and so provides insight into the mechanism of syntactic change. This title will be of interest to students of language and linguistics.

Why does language change? Why can we speak to and understand our parents but have trouble reading Shakespeare? Why is Chaucer''s English of the fourteenth century so different from Modern English of the late twentieth century that the two are essentially different languages? Why are Americans and English ''one people divided by a common language''? And how can the language of Chaucer and Modern English - or Modern British and American English - still be called the same language? The present book provides answers to questions like these in a straightforward way, aimed at the non-specialist, with ample illustrations from both familiar and more exotic languages.

Most chapters in this new edition have been reworked, with some difficult passages removed, other passages thoroughly rewritten, and several new sections added, e.g. on language and race and on Indian writing systems. Further, the chapter notes and bibliography have all been updated.

The content is engaging, focusing on topics and issues that spark student interest. Its goals are broadly pedagogical and the level and presentation are appropriate for interested beginners with little or no background in linguistics. The language coverage for examples goes well beyond what is usual for books of this kind, with a considerable amount of data from various languages of India.