Historical Linguistics

Historical linguistics studies language change.

Change occurs in every human language, both ancient and modern.

Sir William Jones was the first to propose a genetic relation between different languages.

August Schleicher proposed family tree model of language change in 1871

Johannes Schmidt proposed wave model of language change in 1872

There are four explanations for similarities across languages:

      1. genetic relationship (a historical relationship)

      2. borrowing (substratum/superstratum influences)

      3. universal tendencies

      4. chance

Linguists use comparative method to establish genetic relationships

      1. Compile cognate sets, eliminate any borrowings

      2. Determine the sound correspondences

      3. Reconstruct a sound for each position

      4. Check for regularity of sound changes in other cognate sets

      5. Use changes to reconstruct proto-forms (mark with asterisk)->proto-language

      6. Reconstruct family tree

Jacob Grimm was the first to point to the systematic character of phonological change

He proposed Grimm’s Law to account for innovations common to Germanic language family

Borrowing occurs when languages come into contact

Areal features indicate languages were in contact over long periods—sprachbund

Universal tendencies limit the arbitrariness of the sound meaning correspondence

Chance can also produce apparent cognates

There are limits to linguistic reconstruction—10,000 years

Historical linguistics also makes it possible to reconstruct culture

This week’s lecture notes

Practice: exs. 15-17, p. 558; ex. 40, p. 565

Due: Mar. 13th