On language change : the invisible hand in language

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Title:

Author:

Keller, Rudi.

ISBN:

9780415076722

9780415076715

Personal Author:

Keller, Rudi.

Uniform Title:

Sprachwandel. English

Publication Information:

London ; New York : Routledge, 1994.

Physical Description:

xi, 182 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.

Contents:

Pt. I. Exposition of the problem. 1. The problem of language change. 2. Historical reconstruction. 3. In the prison of dichotomies -- Pt. II. Solution and discussion. 4. The working of the invisible hand -- 5. Discussion -- 6. Conclusion.

Abstract:

In the twentieth century, linguistics has been dominated by two paradigms - those of Saussure and Chomsky. In both these philosophies of linguistics, language change was left aside as an unsolvable mystery which challenged theoretical entirety. In On Language Change Rudi Keller reassesses language change and places it firmly back on the linguistics agenda. Based on the ideas of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century thinkers such as Mandeville, Smith and Menger, he demonstrates that language change can indeed be explained through the workings of an 'invisible hand'. Refreshingly jargon-free, Keller's account of language change is comprehensive and clear. Not only does he provide a new epistemology for the science of language change, he also brings new insights to bear on the history of linguistics.

Subject Term:

Linguistic change.

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168015730589	417.7 K29.O 1994	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

In the twentieth century paradigms of linguistics have largely left language change to one side. Rudi Keller's book is an exciting contribution to linguistic philosophy becuase it puts language change back on the linguistics agenda and demonstrates that, far from being a remote mystery, it can and should be explained.