Synopsis
Understanding how language grows and shifts over time, from speech to writing and back again.
This introduction explains the nature of language, why spoken language is the primary phenomenon, and how writing evolved as a reflection of speech. It draws on wide examples to show how meanings change, how words carry emotion, and how the sounds and structures of language adapt across history.
Written for students starting linguistic study, the book emphasizes clear ideas over technical jargon. It offers a practical path through core topics such as phonetics, changes in meaning, and the relationship between form and usage, helping readers see how language develops in real communities.
- Foundational concepts about the nature of language and the link between speech and writing
- How alphabets and writing systems arise and imperfectly reflect spoken forms
- Ways meanings evolve, including shifts due to emphasis, metaphor, and analogy
- Patterns of language change across words, forms, and syntax
Ideal for readers beginning a study of linguistics or anyone curious about how words and sounds transform over time.
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Linguistic Change: An Introduction to the Historical Study of Language (Classic Reprint)
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Linguistic Change: An Introduction to the Historical Study of Language (Classic Reprint)
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HRD. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # LX-9780331019384
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