The Rise and Fall of Languages

By:

R.M.W. Dixon

Format:

Paperback / softback

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Description

This book puts forward a new approach to language change, the punctuated equilibrium model. This is based on the premise that during most of the 100,000 or more years that humans have had language, states of equilibrium have existed during which linguistic features diffused across the languages in a given area so that they gradually converged on a common prototype. From time to time, the state of equilibrium would be punctuated, with expansion and split of peoples and of languages, most recently, as a result of European colonisation and the globalisation of communication which are likely to result in the extinction, within the next hundred years, of 90 per cent of the languages currently spoken. Professor Dixon suggests that every linguist should assume a responsibility for documenting some of these languages before they disappear.

Release date Australia

December 11th, 1997

Author

R.M.W. Dixon

Audiences

General (US: Trade)
Professional & Vocational
Tertiary Education (US: College)

Illustrations

Worked examples or Exercises

Pages

176

Dimensions

129x199x19

ISBN-13

9780521626545

Product ID

2354366

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