Answers three questions in particular: is language change predictable, what is the role of variation, and what is the relation between a theory of grammar and a theory of change? Lass defends a teleological view of change, Bossuyt, Plank and Samuels argue for functional motivation.

This book is a guide to the development of English syntax between the Old and Modern periods. Beginning with an overview of the main features of early English syntax, it gives a unified account of the significant grammatical changes that occurred during this period. Four leading experts demonstrate how these changes can be explained in terms of grammatical theory and the theory of language acquisition. Drawing on a wealth of empirical data, the book covers a wide range of topics including changes in word order, infinitival constructions and grammaticalization processes.

This book is a guide to the development of English syntax between the Old and Modern periods. Beginning with an overview of the main features of early English syntax, it gives a unified account of the significant grammatical changes that occurred during this period. Four leading experts demonstrate how these changes can be explained in terms of grammatical theory and the theory of language acquisition. Drawing on a wealth of empirical data, the book covers a wide range of topics including changes in word order, infinitival constructions and grammaticalization processes.

A critical comparison of morphosyntactic change and the mechanisms that trigger it, this book shows how changes in discourse, lexicon, semantics, pragmatics, and sound interact with changes in morphosyntax, and considers the interface between the internal and external factors of change.

An accessible, up-to-date account of the major changes in English syntax since its beginnings up to the present day.

An accessible, up-to-date account of the major changes in English syntax since its beginnings up to the present day.