This volume is intended primarily as a work for specialists and advanced graduate students. It is not an elementary textbook or introduction, and it does assume some knowledge of syntax, of historical linguistics, and of basic issues in diachronic syntax. Our main purpose in this work is to present a comprehensive and cohesive approach to diachronic syntax. It is a basic work in the sense that we view it as a standard reference or handbook. It is likewise basic in the sense that it reexamines fundamental issues and attempts to contribute to a resolution of them. We view it as foundational; while all academic work of course has predecessors, this approach is not built directly upon previous work.

For readers who do not have the background that we assume, it may be helpful to read (or reread) chapter 3 after chapters 4–6, inasmuch as chapter 3 is entirely theoretical and purposely avoids detailed discussion of examples. Many basic examples that contribute to making the theory more accessible are provided in chapters 4–6. Readers not familiar with discussions of word order during the last two decades may find it helpful to read chapter 8, or at least its Introduction, before chapter 6.