Historical Linguistics

There are over 5,000 distinct human languages in the world. One very basic question is how did they all get there? Historical linguistics is the branch of linguistics that focuses on the interconnections between different languages in the world and/or their historical development. Historical linguists investigate how languages evolve and change through time, how multiple "offspring" languages can arise from one past "parent" language, and how cultural contact between speakers of different languages can influence language development and evolution. We all are aware that English has changed over time. None of us would be able to understand Old English as it was spoken many centuries ago. We also know of words such as "astronaut" that our great grandparents would not have known about.

A basic assumption in historical linguistics is that languages are constantly changing. Rather than assuming that languages are static, non-changing "things," we need to think about them as one of the most dynamic areas of culture.

The purpose of this section is to point out some of the historical relationships that are known between different languages of the world and to discuss the dynamic aspects of language in general that are ultimately responsible for these historical relationships. We also want to explore how languages can change and what types of mechanisms are involved in that change process.

So how do languages change?