Trask's Historical Linguistics (3^rd Ed.)

Trask?s Historical Linguistics, Third Edition, is an accessible introduction to historical linguistics ? the study of language change over time. This engaging book is illustrated with language examples from all six continents, and covers the fundamental concepts of language change, methods for historical linguistics, linguistic reconstruction, sociolinguistic aspects of language change, language contact, the birth and death of languages, language and prehistory and the issue of very remote relations.

This third edition of the renowned Trask?s Historical Linguistics is fully revised and updated and covers the most recent developments in historical linguistics, including:

• more detail on morphological change including cutting-edge discussions of iconization
• coverage of recent developments in sociolinguistic explanations of variation and change
• new case studies focusing on Germanic languages and American and New Zealand English, and updated exercises covering each of the topics within the book
• a brand new companion website featuring material for both professors and students, including discussion questions and further exercises as well as commentaries on the exercises within the book.

Trask?s Historical Linguistics is essential reading for all students of language, linguistics and related disciplines.

The accompanying website can be found at www.routledge.com/cw/trask

Chapter 1 The fact of language change

Chapter 2 Lexical and semantic change

Chapter 3 Phonological change I: change in pronunciation

Chapter 4 Phonological change II: change in phonological systems

Chapter 5 Morphological change

Chapter 6 Syntactic change

Chapter 7 Relatedness between languages

Chapter 8 Syntactic change

Chapter 10 The origin and propagation of change

Chapter 11 Social and historical pressures upon language

Chapter 12 Language and prehistory

Appendix: The Swadesh 200-word list

References

Index

Robert McColl Millar is Professor in Linguistics and Scottish Language at the University of Aberdeen. His most recent books include English Historical Sociolinguistics (2012) and (with William Barras and Lisa Marie Bonnici) Lexical Variation and Attrition in the Scottish Fishing Communities (2014).

Larry Trask was Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sussex and an authority on Basque language and historical linguistics.