An Introduction to the Languages of the World

by Lyovin, Anatole V.

• ISBN13: 9780195081169
• ISBN10: 0195081161
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-03-06
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The only textbook of its kind, An Introduction to the Languages of the World is designed to introduce beginning linguistics students, who now typically start their study with little background in languages, to the variety of the languages of the world. It is ideal for use in courses wherestudents have mastered the basic principles of linguistics but lack background in the broad range of language phenomena found in the world's languages, such as vowel harmony and ergative constructions. It offers students an opportunity to explore, at various levels, structures of very different,highly interesting languages without necessarily possessing a speaking or reading knowledge of these languages. Lyovin explains the classification of languages, discussing not only genetic classification but typological and sociolinguistic classification as well. He follows this with an explication of writing systems. A chapter is devoted to each of the world's continents, with in-depth analyses ofrepresentative languages of Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and America, and a separate chapter covers pidgins and creoles. Helpful features include an appendix of nineteen maps, student exercises, and suggestions for further reading.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations
Classification of Languages	p. 1
Classification of Writing Systems	p. 29
Languages of Europe	p. 45
Languages of Asia	p. 109
Languages of Africa	p. 185
Languages of Oceania	p. 245
Native Languages of the Americas	p. 309
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.