Description of the Module "HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS"
Linguistically speaking
Historical
Linguistics–traditionally known as philology–is the branch of linguistics
concerned with the development of a language or of languages over time. The
primary tool of historical linguistics is
the comparative
method, a way of identifying relations among languages in the
absence of written records. For this reason, historical linguistics are sometimes called comparative-historical linguistics.
Linguists Silvia Luraghi and Vit Bubenik pointed out
that the "official act of birth of comparative historical linguistics is
conventionally indicated in Sir William Jones' The Sanscrit Language, delivered as
a lecture at the Asiatic Society in 1786, in which the author remarked that the
similarities between Greek, Latin,
and Sanskrit hinted
to a common origin, adding that such languages might also be related to Persian,
Gothic and
the Celtic languages" (The Bloomsbury Companion to Historical
Linguistics, 2010, as cited in Nordquist, 2019, para, 1).
Historical
linguistics studies the nature and causes of language change. The causes of
language change find their roots in the physiological and cognitive makeup of
human beings. Sound changes usually involve articulatory simplification, as in
the case of the most common type, assimilation. Analogy and reanalysis are
particularly important factors in morphological change. Language contact
resulting in borrowing is another important source of language change. All
components of the grammar, from phonology to semantics, are subject to change
over time. A change can simultaneously affect all instances of a particular
sound or form, or it can spread through the language word by word by means of
lexical diffusion . Sociological factors can play an important role in
determining whether or not a linguistic innovation is ultimately adopted by the
linguistic community at large.
Since
language change is systematic, it is possible, by identifying the changes that
a particular language or dialect has undergone, to reconstruct linguistic
history and thereby posit the earlier forms from which later forms have
evolved. Using sets of cognates, comparative reconstruction allows us to
reconstruct the properties of the proto-language on the basis of systematic
phonetic correspondences. Studies in historical linguistics can provide
valuable insights into relationships among languages and shed light on
prehistoric developments.
Furthermore,
historical studies of language are of great importance to our understanding of
human linguistic competence. In fact, it has often been stated that language
change provides one of the most direct windows into the workings of the human
mind. Furthermore, the study of language change contributes to our
understanding of how social, cultural, and psychological factors interact to
shape language. Finally, the integration of studies on language change,
language acquisition, and language universals remains one of the most important
challenges facing linguists today.(O'Grady, Dobrovolsk & Katamba, p.299,
1996).
Pedagogically speaking
The module was firstly introduced in 2016/2017 academic year at master one level option "LLA" with 67 h30. It is taught only in the first semester as a fundamental unit, then replaced by ESP module (see a detailed course of ESP ). Its coefficients and credits are respectively "3" and "6". For the evaluation mode, it is done as "cc 50%+ exam 50%
- Teacher: NACIRA GHODBANE