The Secret History of Language: Language Change Unraveled
Author:   Lyle Campbell (University of Hawai'i, Manoa)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
ISBN:  

9781009757997


Pages:   240
Publication Date:   18 June 2026
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Not yet available, will be POD   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon it's release. This is a print on demand item which is still yet to be released.

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The Secret History of Language: Language Change Unraveled


Overview

What are the causes of language change? Where do words come from? Is modern technology and social media corrupting our language? Language change is just as relevant today as it ever was, yet the secrets of how and why it occurs remain tantalisingly out of reach to anyone without a background in linguistics. This book has the answers. Written by one of the leading experts in the field, it provides readers with an accessible account of language change, unraveling the processes and phenomena that have so far remained locked within academia. It explores a range of fascinating topics, such as whether language change is bad, whether change is different in some kinds of languages than others, and if television, AI, and modern technology have any impact on language change. Written in a lively and engaging way, it uncovers the marvels and mysteries of language change for anyone curious about this captivating field.

Full Product Details

Author:   Lyle Campbell (University of Hawai'i, Manoa)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press
Weight:   0.250kg
ISBN:  

9781009757997


ISBN 10:   1009757997
Pages:   240
Publication Date:   18 June 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available, will be POD   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon it's release. This is a print on demand item which is still yet to be released.

Table of Contents

1. Language history: past offenses or glorious achievements?; 2. What's in a word?; 3. You get my drift? Meaning change; 4. Language mooching: loanwords and borrowing; 5. Sound change costs and benefits; 6. How do languages clean up their act? The might of analogy; 7. Can languages change their grammatical spots? Can old grammars learn new grammatical tricks?; 8. All in the family: language classification; 9. Writing and the magic of writing systems; 10. Thereby hangs a tale: Linguistic prehistory; 11. Is linguistic Armageddon nigh? What's ahead for the world's languages?; Appendix: language families of the world (including language isolates).

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Author Information

Lyle Campbell is Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawai'i Mānoa. His research specializations include historical linguistics, language documentation, America's Indian languages, and typology. He has been awarded the LSA's Leonard Bloomfield Book Award twice, for American Indian Languages (Oxford University Press, 2000) and Historical Syntax in Cross-linguistics Perspective (with Harris, Cambridge University Press, 1995).

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