Language change : progress or decay? / Jean Aitchison.

4th ed.

Oxford ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2013.

xii, 298 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm.

"First published by Fontana Press in 1981"--Title page verso.

How and why do languages change? Where does the evidence of language change come from? How do languages begin and end? This introduction to language change explores these and other questions, considering changes through time. The central theme of this book is whether language change is a symptom of progress or decay. This book will show you why it is neither, and that understanding the factors surrounding how language change occurs is essential to understanding why it happens. This updated edition remains non-technical and accessible to readers with no previous knowledge of linguistics.

English

April 17, 2013

Includes bibliographical references (pages 252-293) and index.