This volume treats systematically the variation found in the successive stages of the development of all ancient Greek dialects. It combines synchronic approach, in which generative rules expound phonological divergencies between the systems of different dialects, with a diachronic statement of unproductive and mostly pan-Hellenic shifts.

Professor BubenIk presents a phonetic description and structural phonemic analysis of the best-known variant--Classical Attic of the 5th century B.C.--and displays and contrasts the vocalic and consonantal inventories of all the other dialects...

The author applies the comparative method for the reconstruction of earlier aspectual systems in the Afro-Asiatic phylum of languages. Moving 'upstream' from the documented systems of Semitic, Berber and Old Cushitic the state of affairs during the common stage of Proto-Semito-Berbero-Cushitic is reconstructed. With the addition of Egyptian and Chadic data important conclusions regarding the elusive Proto-Afro-Asiatic are reached. Moving 'downstream' the trajectory of individual aspectual systems through their later stages is analyzed. A central piece of the monograph is the reconstruction of...