Includes bibliographical references.

Genetic relationship among languages, by H. A. Gleason, Jr.--The development of the Indo-European labiovelars with special reference to the dialects of ancient Italy, by J. Whatmough.--The reconstruction of proto-romance, by R. A. Hall, Jr.--Comparative method, by H. M. Hoenigswald.--Internal reconstruction of phonemic split, by J. W. Marchand.--Internal reconstruction in Seneca, by W. L. Chafe.--Some thoughts on sound laws, by J. Vendryès.--Principles of historical phonology, by R. Jakobson.--Function, structure, and sound change, by A. Martinet.--An issue in the theory of sound change: the neogrammarian position and its disconfirmation, by P. M. Postal.--Diachronic syntax and generative grammar, by E. C. Traugott.--Diachronic change in the complement system, by R. Lakoff.--Family tree, wave theory, and dialectology, by E. Pulgram.--On the theory of phonological associations among languages, by R. Jakobson.--Is a structural dialectology possible? By U. Weinreich.--On the mechanism of linguistic change, by W. Labov.--Ordered rules, dialect differences, and historical processes, by S. Saporta.--Typological studies and their contribution to historical comparative linguistics, by R. Jakobson.--Some universals of grammar with particular reference to the order of meaningful elements, by J. H. Greenberg.--Linguistic universals and linguistic change, by P. Kiparsky.