Motives for Language Change [Paperback]

This book considers the processes involved in language change and how they can be modelled and studied.This volume considers the processes involved in language change and the issues of how they can be modelled and studied. The way languages change offers an insight into the nature of language itself, its internal organization, and how it is acquired and used. Accordingly, the phenomenon of language change has been approached from a variety of perspectives by linguists of many different orientations. This book brings together leading figures from different areas of linguistics to re-examine some of the central issues in this field.This volume considers the processes involved in language change and the issues of how they can be modelled and studied. The way languages change offers an insight into the nature of language itself, its internal organization, and how it is acquired and used. Accordingly, the phenomenon of language change has been approached from a variety of perspectives by linguists of many different orientations. This book brings together leading figures from different areas of linguistics to re-examine some of the central issues in this field.This volume considers the processes involved in language change and the issues of how they can be modelled and studied. The way languages change offers an insight into the nature of language itself, its internal organization, and how it is acquired and used. Accordingly, the phenomenon of language change has been approached from a variety of perspectives by linguists of many different orientations. This book brings together leading figures from different areas of linguistics to re-examine some of the central issues in this field.Introduction Raymond Hickey; Part I. The Phenomenon of Language Change: 1. On change in 'E-language' Peter Matthews; 2. Formal and functional motivation for language change Frederick J. Newmeyer; Part II. Linguistic Models and Language Change: 3. Metaphors, models and language change Jean Ail#@