Historical Phonology

In this course (co-taught with my colleagues Patrick Honeybone and Michael Ramsammy) we consider a variety of issues connected to phonological change. Throughout the course, we address questions such as the following:

• How do we reconstruct the phonology of past language states?
• What types of phonological changes are attested?
• How can synchronic phonological theory assist us in the study of historical phonology?
• What can we learn about the human language faculty by studying historical phonology?

In ²⁰¹⁷⁄₂₀₁₈, I will cover the following topics (subject to change with extreme prejudice):

• Mechanisms and types of phonological change
• Phonological typology and phonological change
• Historical phonology and phonological representations

See LASC10046 on DRPS.