Historical and comparative linguistics
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Historical and comparative linguistics
（Amsterdam studies in the theory and history of linguistic science, ser. 4 . Current issues in linguistic theory ; v. 6）
J. Benjamins, 1989
2nd rev. ed
- : hb
- : pb
- Other Title
-
An introduction to historical and comparative linguistics
Available at / 74 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
Rev. ed. of: An introduction to historical and comparative linguistics. New York : Macmillan, 1972
Bibliography: p. 413-447
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
In any course of historical and comparative linguistics there will be students of different language backgrounds, different levels of linguistic training, and different theoretical orientation. This textbook attempts to mitigate the problems raised by this heterogeneity in a number of ways. Since it is impossible to treat the language or language family of special interest to every student, the focus of this book is on English in particular and Indo-European languages in general, with Finnish and its closely related languages for contrast. The tenets of different schools of linguistics, and the controversies among them, are treated eclectically and objectively; the examination of language itself plays the leading role in our efforts to ascertain the comparative value of competing theories. This revised edition (1989) of a standard work for comparative linguists offers an added introduction dealing mainly with a semiotic basis of change, a final chapter on aspects of explanation, particularly in historical and human disciplines, and added sections on comparative syntax and on the semiotic status of the comparative method.
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Part I. Background: genetic linguistics in relation to general linguistics and related fields
- 3. 1. Language and linguistics
- 4. 2. Writing and language
- 5. 3. Linguistic variation
- 6. Part II. Historical linguistics: how does language change
- 7. 4. Sound change
- 8. 5. Grammar change: analogy
- 9. 6. Rule change
- 10. 7. Semantic change
- 11. 8. External change: borrowing
- 12. 9. Why does language change?: Social and linguistic factors
- 13. Part III. Comparative linguistics (general notions and structure): how can change be reversed?
- 14. 10. Preliminaries to the historical methods
- 15. 11. The comparative method (the central concept)
- 16. 12. Internal reconstruction
- 17. 13. Conclusion to the methods
- 18. Part IV. Linguistic reconstruction: A synthesis of various linguistic and cultural notions
- 19. 114. Dialect geography
- 20. 15. Alternative relationship models
- 21. 16. Classification of languages
- 22. 17. Philology and etymology
- 23. 18. Reconstructing Phonology
- 24. 19. Reconstructing grammar
- 25. 20. Reconstructing semology/semantics
- 26. Part V. Conclusion: linguistics as part of anthropology
- 27. 21. Change and reconstruction in culture and linguistics
- 28. 22. Genetic linguistics and biological genetics
- 29. 23. Genetic linguistics and metatheory
- 30. Bibliography
- 31. Index
by "Nielsen BookData"