Part of a series in current issues in linguistic theory, this work comprises essays on the origin and prehistory of language, historiography of linguistics, phonology and phonetic change, morphology and syntax, and socio-neurolinguistics and multilingualism.

1. Dedication; 2. preface; 3. Table of contents; 4. I. Origin and prehistory of language; 5. 1. Die sprache im Schopfungsbericht der biblischen genesis (by Gauger, Hans-Martin); 6. 2. Wurzeln, Etyma und worter. Wege und Irrwege auf der suche nach ursprachen und sprachursprung (by Gipper, Helmut); 7. 3. Some thoughts on the prehistory of language (by Robins, Robert H.); 8. 4. Problemi di preistoria e protostoria linguistica dell'Eurasia (by Silvestri, Domenico); 9. II. Historiography of linguistics; 10. 1. The basic principles of modern sentence theory in the works of a transylvanian polymath in the 19th century (by Balazs, Janos); 11. 2. Toward a history of Americanist linguistic. With special reference to the study of Algonquian languages (by Koerner, E.F.K.); 12. 3. Notes on Saussure as an Indo-Europeanist and phoneticist (by Prosdocimi, Aldo Luigi); 13. 4."... without a philospher we won't get anywhere", an unpublished letter by N.S. Trubetskoy to Dmitrij Cizevskij (by Toman, Jindrich); 14. III. Phonology and phonetic change; 15. 1. Traits distinctifs dynamiques (by Fonagy, Ivan); 16. 2. Marginalien zum problem der relativen chronologie (by Gusmani, Roberto); 17. 3. Isoglosses: Artifactual or real? (by Ogura, Mieko); 18. 4. Theories of rule application in generative phonology (by Vago, Robert M.); 19. IV. Morphology and syntax; 20. 1. Remarks on passive morphology (by Andersen, Paul Kent); 21. 2. Topikalisierungen im altpersischen (by Back, Michael); 22. 3. Textlinguistische aspekte der hauptsatz/nebensatz-Unterscheidung des Deutschen (by Schecker, Michael); 23. 4. Towards the problem of the word (by Zvegintsev, Vladimir A.); 24. V. Socio-neurolinguistics and multilingualism; 25. 1. Studies on the "speechless man": the case of speech automatisms (by Blanken, Gerhard); 26. 2. Multilingualismus und sprachliche storungen. Physiologische, aphasiologische und linguistische aspekte (by Brogyanyi, Bela); 27. 3. The interface of sociolinguistics and neurolinguistics: toward a theory of socio-neurolinguistics (by Peng, Fred C.C.); 28. Index of authors