Linguistic universals and language change

"Leading scholars examine and assess rival explanations for linguistic universals and the effectiveness of different models of language change. They illustrate their arguments with a very wide range of reference to the world's languages--Résumé de l'éditeur."
"This book looks at the relationship between linguistic universals and language change. Reflecting the resurgence of work in both fields over the last two decades, it addresses two related issues of central importance in linguistics: the balance between synchronic and diachronic factors in accounting for universals of linguistic structure, and the means of distinguishing genuine aspects of a universal human cognitive capacity for language from regularities that may be traced toextraneous origins. The volume brings together specially commissioned work by leading scholars, including prominent rep."@en
"This book looks at the relationship between linguistic universals and language change. Reflecting the resurgence of work in both fields over the last two decades, it addresses two related issues of central importance in linguistics: the balance between synchronic and diachronic factors in accounting for universals of linguistic structure, and the means of distinguishing genuine aspects of a universal human cognitive capacity forlanguage from regularities that may be traced to extraneous origins."