This volume provides an overview of the various directions in linguistic theory, their central representatives, as well as application possibilities and implementations. It describes the historical development and embedding, as well as the interrelationships between the schools, leading up to current trends such as construction grammar, in order to convey insights into fundamental concepts, core assumptions, and working methods in their context of emergence. In addition to grammar models, concepts of language change and semiotic approaches are also taken into account. The focus is on theories that are significant for Germanic linguistics. The presentation is supported by exercises that introduce the respective modes of thought and working methods. Literature references at the end of the chapters provide opportunities for further exploration.