Presents lectures on the history of language, past and current languages, dialects, and more.

Packaged in 3 containers (25 x 19 cm.). Each container holds two discs and one guidebook.

pt. 1. Disc 1. What is language? -- When language began -- How language changes: sound change -- How language changes: building new material -- How language changes: meaning and order -- How language changes: many directions -- Disc 2. How language changes: modern English -- Language families: Indo-European -- Language families: tracing Indo-European -- Language families: diversity of structures -- Language families: clues to the past -- The case against the world's first language pt. 2. Disc 3. The case for the world's first language -- Dialects: subspecies of species -- Dialects: where do you draw the line? -- Dialects: two tongues in one mouth -- Dialects: the standard as token of the past -- Dialects: spoken style, written style -- Disc 4. Dialects: the fallacy of blackboard grammar -- Language mixture: words -- Language mixture: grammar -- Language mixture: language areas -- Language develops beyond the call of duty -- Language interrupted pt. 3. Disc 5. A new perspective on the story of English -- Does culture drive language change? -- Language starts over: Pidgins -- Language starts over: Creoles I -- Language starts over: Creoles II -- Language starts over: signs of the new -- Disc 6. Language starts over: the Creole continuum -- What is black English? -- Language death: the problem -- Language death: prognosis -- Artificial languages -- Finale: master class.