On Language Change: The Invisible Hand In Language

The two paradigms which have dominated the field of linguistics in the twentieth century--those of Saussure and Chomsky--have both left aside the subject of language change as an unsolvable mystery which defied theoretical mastery entirely. Rudi Keller, in "On" "Language Change," reassesses language change and places it firmly back on the linguistics agenda. Drawing from ideas of eighteenth-century thinkers such as Mandeville, Smith and Menger, he demonstrates that language change can indeed be explained through the workings of an "invisible hand."
Refreshingly jargon-free, Keller's account of language change is both comprehensive and clear. Not only does he provide an epistemology for the science of language change, but he also brings insights to bear across the breadth of linguistics.