This study demonstrates how historical linguistics regains a central role for the understanding of language as soon as the artificial distinction between synchrony and diachrony is abandoned. The author systematically explores the potential of the concept of analogy within the new framework of 'Soft Syntax,' illustrating his analysis with numerous examples from the history of the Romance languages. He shows that the openness of analogy allows historical linguistics to improve on old problems and to ask new questions about language change.