Analogy and analogical change

Analogical change is sometimes described as a wastebasket category: nearly everything that is not sound change or borrowing is often considered analogy. Efforts to clarify or dismiss this category have been made, but the problem with most of these attempts is that they start from the common view of analogy as reasoning. This creates a distorted perspective, as analogy is not reasoning but its prerequisite. This understanding, along with a glimpse into the historical background of analogy in diachronic linguistics, highlights the flaws in usual typologies of analogical change and ultimately reveals the futility of casting analogy as a distinct type of change.