historical linguistics

noun

, (used with a singular verb)

1. the study of changes in a language or group of languages over a period of time.

historical linguistics

noun

1. functioning as singular the study of language as it changes in the course of time, with a view either to discovering general principles of linguistic change or to establishing the correct genealogical classification of particular languages Also calleddiachronic linguistics Compare descriptive linguistics

Word History and Origins

Origin of historical linguistics¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

It may do for comparative-historical linguistics what the Rosetta Stone did for Egyptology.

From Project Gutenberg