To study language is to study something uniquely human. To study language throughout time and history is to study the evolution of something uniquely human, to determine the variables and constants which shape human existence. Historical linguistics remains one of my favorite subfields of linguistics because it’s so much more than just one subfield. To study language diachronically (through time), historical linguists can examine many different aspects of language at once. We can wonder about the social conditions that might cause semantic change, or think about biological evolution as a catalyst for sound change.

Brian Joseph (OSU) has been in the field of linguistics since the late 70s. He’s written books on everything from syntax universals, to morphology, to clitics. He’s written papers on things as specific and niche as phonesthemes, to broader concepts like the connection between historical linguistics and sociolinguistics, or the problematic of “change” and historiography. On top of all that, he was the President of the Linguistic Society of America in 2019. Needless to say, I was humbled by the chance to speak with him. This conversation encompasses questions of why and how language changes. Whether through physical, cognitive, or social means, language responds to human evolution accordingly, leaving all linguistic utterances as evidence of both our history and our future. After all, what is "synchrony" if not a contradictory quality nearly impossible to qualify?

Brian Joseph's Website

Presidential Address: What is Time?