Typology and historical linguistics

I discuss the relation between language typology and historical linguistics. After briefly illustrating mutual influence in the course of the development of the two disciplines, I discuss some classic topics at the interface between language typology and historical-comparative linguistics, such as language reconstruction. I then focus on language contact as an area of possible interaction between typology and historical linguistics, and show that areal typology has consequences on our understanding of language relatedness, while changes due to contact may result in typologically unlikely developments. Finally, I address the issue of directionality in language change, and show that careful study of attested changes can help gauge the validity of typological generalizations based on large samples of languages. I conclude by suggesting that both typologists and historical linguists could learn a lot from one another, especially if they were willing to accept the idea that their own methodology does not always necessarily provide the most insightful way for tackling specific issues