The Bloomsbury Companion to Historical Linguistics (Bloomsbury Companions)

Originally published as the Continuum Companion to Historical Linguistics, this book brings together a number of leading scholars who provide a combination of different approaches to current and new issues in historical linguistics, while supplying an exhaustive and up-to-date coverage of sub-fields traditionally regarded as central to historical linguistics research. The editors aim to build a solid background for further discussion and to indicate directions for new research on relevant open questions. The book includes coverage of key terms, a list of resources, and sections on: • history of research • methodology- phonology • morphology • grammatical categories • syntax • grammaticalization • semantics • etymology • language contact • sociolinguistics • causes of language change It is a complete resource for researchers working on historical linguistics. Cover 1 HalfTitle 2 Series 3 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Figures 8 Tables 9 List of Contributors 10 Editors’ Introduction 14 Historical Linguistics: History, Sources and Resources 22 1. History of Research 22 2. Sources 33 3. Writing Systems 40 4. Corpora 47 Notes 56 Part I METHODOLOGY 58 Sound Change and the Comparative Method: The Science of Historical Reconstruction 60 1. Introduction 60 2. System in Language 61 3. Regularity of Sound Change in the Languages of the World 62 4. Sapir and Michelson 63 5. Bloomfi eld’s 1925 Reconstruction 64 6. Bloomfi eld’s ‘Sketch’ of 1946 67 7. PA Studies after Bloomfi eld 68 8. Comparative Reconstruction by Computer 69 9. The Reconstruction Engine of Mazaudon and Lowe 70 10. Reconstruction and Typology 70 11. Conclusion 72 Notes 72 Internal Reconstruction 73 1. Introduction to the Method 73 2. The Method of Internal Reconstruction Exemplifi ed 74 3. Confi rming the Results of Internal Reconstruction 76 4. Limitations of Internal Reconstruction 77 5. Concluding Remarks 78 Typology and Universals 80 1. Introduction 80 2. Typology as an Evaluative Tool in Comparative Linguistics 81 3. Typology and Sound Change/Typology of Sound Changes 83 4. Typology and Analogical/Morphological Change 84 5. Typology and Syntactic Change 86 6. Typology and Language Contact 89 7. Concluding Remarks 89 Notes 89 Internal Language Classification 91 1. Introduction 91 2. Character-Based Classifi cations 93 3. Distance-Based Classifi cations 100 4. Subgrouping for Comparative Purposes 102 5. Outlook 106 Notes 107 Part II PHONOLOGICAL CHANGE 108 Segmental PhonologicalChange 110 1. Introduction 110 2. Assimilation and Ease of Articulation 112 3. Syllable-Based Change and Preference Laws 115 4. Coda Neutralization and Universal Constraints on Change 118 5. Metathesis, Dissimilation and Perception 121 6. Chain Shifting and Sound Change in Progress 122 7. The ‘Life Cycle of Sound Change’ 123 8. Conclusion 125 Notes 125 Suprasegmental and Prosodic Historical Phonology 127 1. Introduction 127 2. Tonogenesis and Related Phenomena 128 3. Prosodic Finality and Accent Retraction 130 4. Accent Protraction 131 5. Avoidance of Prominence Clash (the OCP) 132 6. Phrasal Prosody and Linguistic Change 133 Notes 133 Part III MORPHOLOGICAL AND GRAMMATICAL CHANGE 136 From Morphologization to Demorphologization 138 1. Introduction 138 2. Morphologization 144 3. Changes in Infl ectional Morphology 154 4. Demorphologization 163 5. Conclusion. Diachrony and History 166 Notes 167 Analogical Change 168 1. Analogy as a Linguistic Concept 168 2. Types of Analogy 170 3. Laws of Analogy? 175 4. Analogy as an Emergent Force 179 Notes 181 Change in Grammatical Categories 182 1. The Nominal Categories in Afro-Asiatic Languages 182 2. Verbal Categories in Semitic Languages 201 Note 219 Part IV SYNTACTIC CHANGE 220 Word Order 222 1. Introduction 222 2. Change by Reduction: ‘Free’ to Fixed Word Order 223 3. Reanalysis: Head—Complement Order 226 4. Verb Second: Extension and Reduction 227 5. Grammaticalization of Discourse: Topicalization 231 The Rise (and Possible Downfall) of Configurationality 233 1. Introduction 233 2. Approaches to Non-Confi gurationality 234 3. Indo-European Non-Confi gurationality 235 4. From Latin to Romance 243 5. Two Types of Non-Confi gurationality 245 6. Why Did Confi gurationality Arise? 247 Notes 248 Subordination 251 1. Nonfi nite Subordination 251 2. Finite Subordination 261 Notes 270 Alignment 271 1. Alignment: Defi nitions 271 2. Alignment Change 274 3. General Principles of Alignment Change 286 Notes 288 Part V SEMANTICO-PRAGMATIC CHANGE 290 Grammaticalization 292 1. Introduction 292 2. Grammaticalization as Reduction 293 3. Grammaticalization as Expansion 297 Notes 306 Semantic Change 307 1. Introduction 307 2. Types of Semantic Change 309 3. Semantic Change be yond the Word 317 4. Causes of Semantic Change 320 5. Towards a Deeper Understanding of Semantic Change 325 Notes 330 Etymology 332 1. Introduction 332 2. Etymology in Past and Present 332 3. What is Etymology? 338 Notes 341 Part VI EXPLANATIONS OF LANGUAGE CHANGE 344 Language Contact 346 1. Introduction 346 2. Areal Linguistics 350 3. Pidgins and Creoles 351 4. The Effects of Contact 354 5. Theoretical Issues: Contact and the Nature of Linguistic Change 360 6. Conclusion 363 Notes 364 Regional and Social Dialectology 367 1. Two Branches of Dialectology 367 2. Historical Inferences from Regional Variation 369 3. Historical Inferences from Social Variation 372 4. Dynamics of Language Change 378 Causes of LanguageChange 379 1. Introduction 379 2. Inter-Generational Transmission 379 3. Variation and Prestige 381 4. Teleology in Language Change 385 5. External Causes 387 6. Do Internal Causes Exist? 389 Notes 390 A–Z Historical Linguistics 392 References 406 Index of Subjects 452 Index of Authors 462 Index of Languages 470 'Advanced students of linguistics and practising linguists can read this book for both profit and enjoyment. The editors have assembled an impressive list of leading experts in each sub-field, each contributing a chapter: together it makes for an interesting and informative read.'-Professor Sheila Embleton, Department of Languages, Literature & Linguistics. York University, Canada