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"Trask's Historical Linguistics is an approachable and engaging introduction to historical linguistics - the study of language change over time. This third edition discusses language change, linguistic reconstruction, the birth and death of languages using language examples from around the world. Updated chapters on morphological change and the latest developments in sociolinguistic explanations of variation and change, as well as a brand new companion website with materials for both professors and students, make this third edition of Trask's Historical Linguistics indispensable for all students of language, linguistics and related disciplines"--
List of contents
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
About the author
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.
Report
"Trask's Historical Linguistics is a jewel among textbooks of Historical Linguistics: it brings to life the intriguing paths on which human languages have wandered in their development, and sparks the enthusiasm of the reader to explore and study them, providing the necessary toolkit and background knowledge."
Robert Mailhammer, University of Western Sydney, Australia
"Larry Trask's Historical Linguistics is an exemplary introduction to the field, and McColl Millar's third edition is a much needed update: the new case studies and exercises are superb, and the revised reading suggestions extremely helpful."
Adrian Pablé, The University of Hong Kong
"This new edition of Trask's Historical Linguistics by Robert McColl Millar provides a thorough introduction to the field in the broadest sense while remaining accessible to students and specialists alike. Truly a useful book."
Garry Davis, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
"This revised and expanded edition of Trask's seminal work will make welcome reading for scholars and students alike."
Raymond Hickey, University of Duisburg and Essen, Germany
"Accessible but not simplified, entertaining but not simplistic, this book provides thorough coverage of the field with a richness of explanation and examples that offers at the same time a synthetic overview and a wealth of data and detail. The new companion website promises to enhance its value as a textbook for the classroom and the independent learner."
Mark Richard Lauersdorf, University of Kentucky, USA
