"A manual and state-of-the-art-report for readers already committed to linguistic study."
--O. W. Robinson in: 'Journal of English and German Philology'
Publisher Web Site, January, 2004
Summary
Historical linguistic theory and practice contains a great number of different 'layers' which have been accepted
in the course of time and have acquired a permanency of their own. These range from neogrammarian conceptualizations
of sound change and analogy to present-day ideas on rule change and language mixture. To get a full grasp of the
principles of historical linguistics it is therefore necessary to understand the nature and justifications (or
shortcomings) of each of these 'layers', not just to look for a single 'overarching' theory. The major purpose
of the book is to provide in up-to-date form such an understanding of the principles of historical linguistics
and the related fields of comparative linguistics and linguistic reconstruction. In addition, the book provides
a very broad exemplification of the principles of historical linguistics.
