This course is an introduction to historical linguistics, and how the study of linguistic histories informs our more general understanding of the history of Asia and the Pacific – particularly when we go back beyond the reach of written records. Asia and the Pacific form the linguistically most diverse area in the world, and past and present societies across the two regions are typically identified by the kind of languages they speak. The course explores the status and internal diversity of a number of different language groupings, including language families such as Sino-Tibetan, Austroasiatic, Tai-Kadai and Austronesian, linguistic areas such as India and Mainland Southeast Asia, and languages whose historical connections remain debated, such as Japanese and Korean, and it considers what language histories can tell us about the non-linguistic histories of Asia-Pacific societies. The course aims to introduce students to the basic principles and methods of historical linguistics, including processes of language change and language contact, as well as the ways in which linguistic development reflects socio-cultural change. We will use language history as a starting point for broader discussions that incorporate research from anthropology, archaeology and population genetics, asking how the different disciplines tell similar or different stories about the Asia-Pacific past.