Re: Constructing plausible language evolution

Hallo!

"David J. Peterson" wrote:

> Kutsuwamushi wrote:
> <<
> Is there any good resource for learning how to create plausible
> sound/morphosyntactic changes for a conlang? Right now, I can only
> guess based on what I know about a (very) limited number of (mostly
> Slavic) languages, but I'd like to be able to go further than that.
>  >>
>
> Lyle Campbell's book _Historical Linguistics_ is probably the
> best I've seen.  It gives  you a list of common sound changes,
> citing natural language examples, and then goes in depth into
> sound change (what drives it, what's plausible, what isn't, etc.).
Seconded.  Campbell's book is clearly the best of the six
or so textbooks on historical linguistics I have read so far.
It addresses just about everything you need to know about
language change and is also very well written.  The author
also warns against pseudo-scientific techniques (such as
glottochronology and mass lexical comparison) popular among
those who wish to boldly go where no historical linguist
has gone before.

Another recommendable book is _Indo-European Language and
Culture_ by Benjamin W. Fortson IV.  It contains sketches of
PIE and several daughter languages and summarzes the sound changes
characteristic of the various branches.  This book will give you
a good impression of what a family of related languages looks like
and how languages change in practice.

Greetings,

Jörg.