The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Diachronic and Historical Linguistics, 5 Volume Set

The first multi-volume reference work dedicated entirely to the field of diachronic linguistics The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Diachronic and Historical Linguistics is a state-of-the-art resource that explores the mechanisms underlying linguistic evolution.Bridging the gap between theoretical models and empirical research, this comprehensive work connects linguistics with allied disciplines such as psychology, anthropology, sociology, and biology, and provides an enriched understanding of how language interacts with human society and cognition.Contributions from more than 150 leading scholars cover an unparalleled range of key topics, from phonetics and syntax to semantics, pragmatics, and beyond.Spanning five volumes, the Companion combines cutting-edge theoretical perspectives with detailed case studies from a variety of language families, including underrepresented and non-verbal languages, such as sign languages.By examining the interaction of linguistic systems with societal and