Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics
Subdiscipline of general linguistics concerned with developing a theory of language change in general or of a specific language. This comprises, among others, the following subareas: (a) representation of the origins and development of individual languages and language groups (through internal and, where actual linguistic data are lacking, external reconstruction); (b) development of a typology of processes leading to language change (types of phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic changes); (c) explanation of individual processes of change or universal types of change with special reference to articulatory phonetics, cognitive psychology (
cognitive linguistics), sociolinguistics, and communication theory; and (d) study of the origin and the spread of language-internal and language-external changes. ( also comparative linguistics)
References
Aertsen, H. and R.J.Jeffers (eds) 1989. Historical linguistics: papers from the ninth International Conference on Historical Linguistics. Amsterdam and Philadelphia, PA.
Andersen, H. and K.Koerner (eds) 1990. Historical linguistics 1987. Amsterdam and Philadelphia,
Anttila, R. 1989. Historical and comparative linguistics, 2nd rev. edn. Amsterdam and Philadelphia, PA.
Bynon, T. 1977. Historical linguistics. Cambridge.
Crowley, T. 1992. An introduction to historical linguistics. Oxford.
Davis, G.W.
and G.Iverson (eds) 1992. Explanation in historical linguistics. Amsterdam and Philadelphia, PA.
Fisiak, J. (ed.) 1990. Historical linguistics and philology. Berlin and New York.
Hock, H.H. 1986. Principles of historical linguistics. (2nd edn, rev. and updated 1991.) Berlin and New York.
Jones, C. (ed.) 1993. Historical linguistics: problems and perspectives. London and New York.
Lehmann, W.P. 1993. Historical linguistics, 3rd edn. London.
Marle, J.van (ed.) 1993. Historical linguistics 1991: papers from the tenth International Conference on Historical Linguistics. Amsterdam and Philadelphia, PA.
Meillet, A. 1921. Linguistique historique et linguistique générale. Paris.
Journals
Diachronica: International Journal for Historical Linguistics.
Folia Linguistica Historica.
Historical Linguistics/Historische Sprachforschung.
language change, linguistics (history)
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