Nikolaus Ritt is Professor and Head of the English Department at Vienna University.

• 1. Introduction; 2. The historical perspective; 3. Approaching 'language change'; 4. The Darwinian approach; 5. Generalising Darwinism; 6. Towards an evolutionary theory of language; 7. What does all this imply for the study of language change?; 8. How to live with feet, if one happens to be a morph-meme; 9. The prosodic evolution of English word forms or the great trochaic conspiracy; 10. Conclusion.

'… addresses what may be legitimately regarded as one of the most fundamental questions a linguist can ask: why does language take the form it does? Ritt's answer is refreshingly novel, stimulating as well as astounding …' Thomas Berg, University of Hamburg

Nikolaus Ritt is Professor and Head of the English Department at Vienna University.

• 1. Introduction; 2. The historical perspective; 3. Approaching 'language change'; 4. The Darwinian approach; 5. Generalising Darwinism; 6. Towards an evolutionary theory of language; 7. What does all this imply for the study of language change?; 8. How to live with feet, if one happens to be a morph-meme; 9. The prosodic evolution of English word forms or the great trochaic conspiracy; 10. Conclusion.

'… addresses what may be legitimately regarded as one of the most fundamental questions a linguist can ask: why does language take the form it does? Ritt's answer is refreshingly novel, stimulating as well as astounding …' Thomas Berg, University of Hamburg

Nikolaus Ritt is Professor and Head of the English Department at Vienna University.

• 1. Introduction; 2. The historical perspective; 3. Approaching 'language change'; 4. The Darwinian approach; 5. Generalising Darwinism; 6. Towards an evolutionary theory of language; 7. What does all this imply for the study of language change?; 8. How to live with feet, if one happens to be a morph-meme; 9. The prosodic evolution of English word forms or the great trochaic conspiracy; 10. Conclusion.

'… addresses what may be legitimately regarded as one of the most fundamental questions a linguist can ask: why does language take the form it does? Ritt's answer is refreshingly novel, stimulating as well as astounding …' Thomas Berg, University of Hamburg