Search : Index : Faculty of Arts : Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Prev 175-016 Semantics
Next 175-019 Language & Society

 175-017 Historical Linguistics

Note

Formerly available as 175-213/313. Students who have completed 175-213/313 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

Credit Points

12.5

HECS Band

1

Coordinator

Assoc Prof Nick Evans

Prerequisites

Completion of 175-004 Introduction to Language or 175-005 English: Its Structure and History or Departmental approval.

Semester

2 (view timetable)

Contact

Two 1-hour lectures and a tutorial per week. There will be no tutorials in either the first week or the sixth week of semester

Subject Description

This subject examines the ways in which languages change over time, and the techniques used to infer what these changes have been. Specific topics include: the nature of language change, the comparative method and linguistic reconstruction in phonology and morphology, the family-tree model of language change, effects of language contact, sociolinguistic aspects of language change, grammaticalisation, semantic change, language and prehistory, synthetic models based on historical linguistics, archaeology, genetics and diachronic anthropology. The focus will be on the languages of Europe, Australia and the western Pacific.

Assessment

Three assignment problems of 500 words each, and an essay of 2500 words.

Prescribed Texts
  • Trask, Historical Linguistics. Arnold.
Search : Index : Faculty of Arts : Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Prev 175-016 Semantics
Next 175-019 Language & Society
 
Status:                   Official 2000
Last Modified:            Thursday November 25 15:10
SGML to HTML Conversion:  Information Technology Services
Authorised by:            Academic Registrar
Email Enquiries:          Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au