Historical Linguistics

Historical Linguistics is Concerned With the Process of Language Change Through Time. It Investigates How and Why the Language of Individuals, a Social Group or a Whole 'Speech Community' Develops in Respect of Its Pronunciation, Vocabulary and Grammar. Dr Bynon Regards Language As Essentially a Dynamic Phenomenon, Whose Character Can Be at Best Only Partly Understood by a Static, and Necessarily Idealized, Synchronic Approach. in Part I She Establishes the Theoretical Framework by Providing a Systematic Survey of the Three Main Models of Language Development - the Neogrammarian, Structuralist, and Transformational Generative. Examples Drawn Substantially From English and German, but Also From Classical Languages, French, Welsh and a Variety of Others, Are Used to Explain and Compare These Approaches. in Part Ii She Turns to Sociolinguistics and Shows How Changes Within a Language Over a Period of Time, and Changes Brought About by Contact Between Languages, Are Both Indicators and Age